Exposure
by AdrianTepes001
Summary: *Discontinued* Re-made version continues in "Into the Blue Sky"
1. Chapter 1: Sending out an SOS

Exposure

By Adrian Tepes

Rating: PG-13 to R.

Summary: The actions of Champions bring changes across the world and to one man in particular. This is his story.

Disclaimer: All properties, characters, etc… are copyright of their respective owners. I make no profit off this and am writing for my own amusement and enjoyment.

Takes place during the S8 comics and follows/replaces/adds on to the series canon from there.

Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who helped me with this story. You know who you are. I couldn't have done it without you.

Timeline: Takes place during S8 comics Issue #6, "No Future for you Part I"

Chapter One: Sending out an SOS.

Scotland was a nice place to visit and for the most part, it was even nicer to live there. Especially when you could see the whole countryside in its native beauty from own your personal castle. Except, Xander thought to himself, when you'd seen all the countryside you want to see, whether it was crawling in undead intent on a brutal killing spree or just brushing up on their ballroom dancing. Currently he wasn't looking at trees in a forest but rather, he was in one of the small towns that surrounded their Scottish castle home.

He was in said town replenishing the rather considerable amount of crucial supplies that had been expended in defense of their home. And so the Slayers that had accompanied him could shop to their hearts (and his wallet's) relative content. A glance confirmed the girls, Renee, Satsu, and Tori were still busy looking through the book racks. He had known the first two a bit longer then Tori but only by a few months. Still in an army of hundreds of Slayers, they had no trouble standing out in his mind.

They were accompanying him in lieu of his normal shopping partners, all of who were busy back at the castle. Obviously Dawn in her current state couldn't be seen outside in the daylight hours let alone go shopping. Otherwise she would be browsing through the various shelves of old books, forever searching for something to read. Xander once again wondered what had happened that resulted in the younger Summers sister being giant-sized. Buffy was doing the big sister thing and trying to spend more time with her, which was a good idea as far as he was concerned.

Willow was also absent, ostensibly talking with Buffy and examining Dawn's condition. His best friend had made it in time to defend the castle from Amy's assault and had almost fallen victim of her and Warren's revenge. How Warren had survived being flayed alive by then 'Evil' Willow was something that still confused him. Buffy and Satsu's rescue mission only had been a partial success. Willow was back and healthy but the news of being at war with the human race was somewhat of a downer. Willow was the world's most powerful witch and Buffy had three separate identities to keep her safe but both had been left feeling somewhat powerless and decidedly not safe.

Buffy, he thought, looked like she was taking the General's last words a bit harder then she initially had told them. The strain of leading and looking after hundreds of newly empowered slayers, of trying to coordinate the remnants of the Old Watcher's Council, of simply being a good big sister and friend to the people in her life, and then the bombshell news gleaned during the mission to rescue Willow, had taken a lot out of her. Buffy; needed her friends now more then before, but try as she might, she hadn't been able to fix all of the broken bridges that crashed into the crater of their hometown. Before Xander could go on an internal rant about Giles disappearing from his Slayer's side he was interrupted.

* * *

"I hate this."

"Dawn you know we're doing the best we can."

Dawn Summers frowned as she lowered her gaze to look at her older sibling. One of them had been brought back from the dead twice while fighting demons and vampires and now led an army of mystically empowered women that spanned the globe. The other was actually an ancient artifact that predated almost everything made human, only recently made into the size of the Jolly Green Giant. Yet despite these differences, they were sisters still. They were there for each other, through the good and the bad.

Dawn's frown deepened as she spoke, "Yeah I can tell you're really concerned".

"Well maybe if you told me a little more about how this happened, we could speed up the research a bit" Buffy's answer held equal parts sarcasm and sweetness, an indication that they had had this conversation before.

"Give it a rest you two." Willow's voice halted the conversation. The redhead witch emerged in the courtyard where Dawn was currently resting. Quietly she walked around Dawn looking the massive eighteen-year-old over for any marks, symbols or tattoos that perhaps had been missed, anything at all that would provide a clue towards how to help her. The precious few moments of silence ended as Buffy greeted her, "Any luck in the library?"

"Nope. There's nothing in there that resembles Dawn's condition."

"Rats," Dawn responded.

Remembering Amy's attack, Willow said, "I think being a rat would be a lot worse Dawn".

"Hmph." Dawn pouted as she faced out over the castle wall.

Buffy tried again, "Dawn, it's just that if we knew more about what had happened, we might be able to help you faster."

Dawn glanced down at the pair, "What difference would it make? We're all doomed in love anyways."

"That's not true."

"Says you. At least my first time didn't kill anyone."

That struck a nerve and Buffy deflated ever so slightly. "Dawn... I didn't know…" She stopped as she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder as Willow intervened, "Dawn. That was mean."

The younger girl slumped down, her gaze coming down to her feet, "It's just hard you know, going from that to this. I thought it would be different."

"We all did Dawn" Buffy had found her voice. "I thought maybe I could get something with Ang--, him. I didn't really think much beyond that."

There was another period of awkward silence as the three young women pondered each other's words. A slightly devious idea crept into Dawn's mind, "Say, Willow."

The witch heard her name and looked up at the younger Summers sister, "Yes?"

"What was your first time like?"

"What!" Willow felt her cheeks flush red at the question. "Well, you know, you want me to share something that's private and we already know Buffy's. Seems only fair you share." Willow turned and found Buffy was also gazing at her with a questioning look on her face. Knowing there wasn't any way out of this, she gave up.

"All right. My first time was… sweet."

"Sweet?" The sisters spoke simultaneously.

"Uh huh. Sweet and light and soft. I hadn't felt so exposed and safe at the same time."

"So it was Xander" Dawn surmised.

Willow shook her head no "Oz."

"Oz?" Dawn seemed a bit surprised but then her and Willow's gaze were drawn to her sister who was now grinning ear to ear.

"A-ha. I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Willow had a bad feeling about this.

"I knew it, before graduation. You and Oz were late and he had this grin on his face… You had the 'world-ending sex' with Oz!" Buffy was hopping and dancing as she spoke.

Willow opened her mouth to say something but could only squeak as her face became as red as her hair. Dawn meanwhile had a horrified look on her face. "Oz? He used to give me a ride in that van sometimes. Willow… you didn't do it in the van did you? Willow?"

Willow couldn't answer as Buffy slowed down from her celebrations. Not getting a response, Dawn assumed the worst. "Oh my god you did,… I SAT IN WILLOW JUICE!"

That snapped both older girls from their respective states, turning as one they shouted "DAWN!"

* * *

A few minutes ago Xander Harris and his trio of accompanying Slayers had been merrily shopping away in the town when they were interrupted. The interruption took the form of the back wall of the shop blasting inward showering the contents and costumers alike with bits of stucco, brick and wood. Reflexes honed in his now destroyed hometown had led Xander to duck down behind a sturdy wooden bookcase. Shielded from the debris, he focused his attention on the source of the blast, the back wall. Or rather what had been the back wall, now stood what he guessed was the responsible party.

The responsible party was a massive, stone gray thing, covered in a sort of armor or reptile-like scales. Paying no mind to the people cowering around it, the creature stomped forward smashing any merchandise that had survived its entrance.

"Xander!"

He turned and saw that the girls had weathered the blast with no sign of injury or damage. The Sunnydale survivor saw that their eyes had already locked onto the creature headed their way and it didn't take a Watcher to figure out what was on their minds. And while he wasn't about to stop them from slaying, there were other priorities.

"Listen, get Mr. Concrete out of here before you get your slay on. There's a lot of hurt civilians around here and a full-scale fight here would be bad news for them."

He watched them charge the beast head on, wondering if they heard him at all. Satsu led the way with a flying sidekick aimed squarely at the thing's body. She hit it solidly, bounced off and came up holding her ankle. Renee followed up, throwing flurry of kicks and punches that connected but left her as the one wincing. Satsu's voice reached Tori before she could mount her attack. "Stop! You'll only hurt yourself".

The third Slayer turned and regarded her fellow Chosen with a surprised look that changed to one of understanding as she saw them holding various bruised and rapidly swelling body parts. "Feels like I punched cement only with no give at all." Renee held her right hand in her left, trying to massage it as the Slayer healing did its thing.

Xander for his part was only half watching the Slayer trio as he worked his way around the store trying to remain out of sight. So far he had successfully managed to find some of the store's other customers. Two, he had helped escape the battle. But, the third unfortunately would need, a body bag. Watching the girls' ineffective attempts to harm the creature, he once again cursed not bringing a weapon or two with himself. Even his beat up axe right now would help in the hands of a Slayer or someone else who knew how to use it.

The Slayers in question were preparing for another attack when an older man, who Xander presumed to be the owner of the shop re-emerged armed with what looked to be a working shotgun. Xander's suspicions were confirmed when the man aimed and fired at the offending beast. The creature, if it felt or was hurt by the blast didn't show it. Instead it raised its arms and to Xander's surprise, a long spike-like appendage shot out and through the mid-section of the man who dropped his gun and slumped down.

"Oh crap."

While Xander was debating on how to reach the shopkeeper while avoiding the monster, both of them were distracted. The distraction took the form of a surprising steadily shower of concrete bits; wood and even trashed store merchandise pelting the creature. Turning his head, he breathed a sigh of relief. Satsu, Renee and Tori, still nursing their injuries, were busy throwing anything they could get their hands on. Annoyed, the monster focused its attention on the Slayers and started moving towards them. Their objective met, the Slayers began to retreat, luring the monster farther away from the injured civilians and Xander. Satsu paused before joining her comrades and he used the opportunity to reassure her, "Go, I'll call Buffy and get help". A shadow of a smile crossed her face before she fled, the creature right on her heels.

Abandoning all pretense of hiding, Xander ran to where the fallen shopkeeper lay. First he checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one. Gently he examined the wounded man, determining that the spike had passed through the body cleanly. Quickly and efficiently, he bandaged the man's wound, slowing the loss of blood and without further injuring the man.

As he did so, his words to Satsu repeated over and over in his head, 'call for help'. It wasn't until he physically looked down at his right hand that he realized what he was doing.

"GAH!"

With a start, Xander dropped his cell-phone. Except it wasn't his cell phone. It looked nothing like the sleek, blue and black Motorola he carried. Glancing down at himself he realized that not only was his phone missing but also now he was wearing a harness of some sort. Or rather, he was wearing a belt with big empty slot in the middle where the belt buckle would be.

He took one step back and realized that there was more to this belt. Reaching around his back he pulled something off a hook and brought it up to his face. It was a long tube with an obvious opening at one end. It looked like a flashlight but he'd never seen a design like this one. Xander glanced down at the floor where he had dropped what he thought was his phone. Kneeling he picked it up and examined it in his hands, absent-mindedly replacing the flashlight on the belt. The phone looked like an older model, silver trimmed in black. One section boasted a circle of red and yellow with a strip of green attached. Growing more curious, he flipped it open. Where the exterior led one to believe the phone was several years old, the display led him to believe the opposite. It looked nothing like nothing less than a miniature computer screen. Something like they had back at the castle. Now Xander really had questions. Starting with his sanity at the moment.

'Call for help'.

Xander became a voyeur in his body, as he watched himself enter a three -digit number into the phone. He didn't know where he got the number or where he got the idea to enter it into the keypad came from. All he knew was that he did both, flipped the phone closed and was rewarded with a somewhat loud yet smooth voice that said "Standing by" as though it were waiting for something. Vaguely he made the connection between the empty slot on the belt and how the phone seemed to fit. Before he realized it, he was sliding the phone into the slot and that's when a word he never heard before slipped past his lips.

"Henshin."

"Complete."

Xander's world erupted into crimson light.

* * *

"Hey there.

Buffy turned her head ever slightly as Willow took a seat beside her. At some time in the past, the castle's previous owners had installed some wooden benches on the battlements and that's where they were now. Watching the day pass slowly by, Buffy reflected on the conversation with Dawn.

"Give her time" Willow seemed to sense what Buffy was thinking about. "She's still growing up you know."

"I know, I just w--… I hoped she wouldn't have done it so fast."

"You mean like me, Xander and, you did."

Buffy didn't answer her right away, "Yeah. Like I did. If Mom was still here…"

"She would be proud Buffy. She always was, even when you weren't around. She was always saying how proud she was of being of your mother. I think she would be very happy with the job you've done caring for Dawn."

"That's about the only thing I've done right since …she passed away. I couldn't stay in school. Couldn't keep the house up. I couldn't even keep a normal boyfriend."

Willow 's voice broke in, "Buffy you can't keep dwelling on the back then. You have to live in the now present. You don't have to worry about studying for midterms, earning a steady paycheck. You'll find someone, I know you will."

"Ya think?"

"Of course, the whole world is out there waiting to get to know who Buffy Summers really is. Your horizons have been so broadened that I'm so not making a dent in what you're really worried about, huh?"

"Does it ever stop? You know, the hurting from… them."

Willow looked down, her small hands held within them great power, but now they were shaking as hard as she was. "I don't think so. I still think about Tara and dream about her."

Buffy noted that she hadn't said anything about Oz but maybe she had reason not to. He was as far as everyone knew, alive albeit dropped off the radar map by choice. Her own memories of Angel warred with those of Spike. Twice she had dared to love an almost impossible love and paid dearly for it. Then again, as she studied Willow's face, at least Angel was still alive. Maybe Spike was as well though she dared not hope for that.

The pair lapsed into silence, both girls trying to figure out if either had been better off in the romance department and why. Each alternating thinking the other was better off than they were.

* * *

Outside, the slayer's struggle with their as yet unknown opponent was not going well. Not well at all, Satsu groused. The demon was definitely the strongest she had encountered thus far as in her career as a slayer. The same type of armor that largely encompassed its body covered the monster's face. Armor-like plating was also present around its hands and feet, rendering them nearly as well protected. She flashed briefly back to her first meeting with Buffy, then with Xander telling the group, that everything had eyes, heart and head. 'When in doubt', he said, 'ignore everything else and go for those weak spots'. The dull ache in her ankle snapped her attention back to the present.

"Shit".

Ignoring the pain she circled the beast aware that Renee and Tori were doing likewise. Even 100 healthy and armed to the teeth, taking this guy down would have been a tall order for Satsu. In Renee's and her injured states, she didn't have the slightest idea about how to handle this even with Tori's help.

So her reaction to seeing something strike and stagger the rampaging monster was one of complete surprise. Going by the reactions of her fellow slayers, they were equally surprised. The new arrival blocked a retaliatory strike by the fiend than sent it sprawling with a boot to the midsection. Satsu focused all of her attention on the newcomer as it turned to regard them. The figure was masculine and was roughly the same size as the demon but that's all they had in common. He was mostly black save for the red and silver armor on its torso and shoulders. Silver bands were also present at the wrists and elbows of its arms. A rather imposing belt also silver in color was wrapped around its waist with various items hanging off of it. But it was the head that drew most of her attention. A helmet dominated with two huge yellow 'eyes'.

Satsu had never seen anything like it in her life, pre or post slayer. She watched as it turned to confront the monster with calmness in its step. The beast had scrambled to its feet and charged, intent on pounding the newcomer into the ground. The unknown silver-clad figure swiftly sidestepped the charge, deflected the otherwise wild swing and connected with a right cross to where the demon's jaw would have been, effectively stunning it. He then followed with a flurry of punches aimed at the monster's chest and head, staggering it further and forcing it back off. Without missing a beat, the new arrival grabbed something from around his waist, and aimed a steady stream of yellow energy at the creature.

Staggering and smoking, the creature studied the figure that had harmed it so greatly in such a short amount of time and then took off running.

The newcomer seemed content to watch it flee before returning its attention to the trio of slayers that had witnessed its debut. Silently the three exchanged looks, Tori's feet were already shifting to confront their erstwhile savior as she turned around and saw nothing. She quickly scanned the whole area, mindful that the others were doing so as well. Both the monster and the mysterious figure in black had disappeared. Her confusion gave way to annoyance rapidly at not being able detect any sign from either of them.

"Oh my god, Xander!"

Renee's voice broke through Tori's focus as she remembered the fourth member of their party.

Quickly she moved to help Satsu as they followed Renee back to the remains of the store. Inside they found Xander standing by himself, in control of this battlefield as he was at their Scottish home.

He regarded the girls' physical state, taking into account the injuries to two of them. "Any luck?"

"Nope, got away." Satsu's voice was laced with frustration and the smallest traces of a Slayer in pain.

"Well nothing more we can do. Emergency people are on their way so I think we should disappear before we have to answer some uncomfortable questions."

The slayers nodded Xander tossed the keys to Tori as he moved to help Satsu with her injury and instructed Tori to retrieve their car.

End Chapter One.


	2. Chapter 2: Building a Mystery

Chapter Two: Building a Mystery

Chapter Two: Building a Mystery.

Xander kept his single wary eye on the road ahead, hardily sparing a glance at the Slayers riding with him. They were unusually quiet for the aftermath of a battle with the supernatural. It's not like they were rookies or anything, even Tori had seen some action and Slayers by and large tended to be very high energy after a battle. Even when they lost a friend or fellow Slayer, they let out their grief for all to hear and share in. Then again, he reflected, this particular battle had been very different, especially from his point of view. It's not every day you do go from being average guy who's handy with a sword to well, whatever that was.

"Mister H-, I mean Xander?" Renee's voice brought him back to the present. "Are you all right? You seemed a bit distracted?"

"Huh? Oh just trying to figure out whom the new guy in town was. He's all gray and scaly. I'm going to guess Eastern European. Or maybe Greek."

He smiled as Renee let out a breath she had been holding. Apparently she had ridden with Buffy before.

"We'll be okay, it's just another new demon day at the office. Buffy can handle it."

"She can handle anything."

Xander's gaze flicked to Satsu's reflection in the rearview mirror, "Buffy's the most amazing person I've ever met. Her, Willow, Dawn--, they're all really amazing people once you get to know them."

"Really?" Renee asked.

"Without a doubt," assured Tori. "But what about Mr. Giles?" She pressed.

"He's the bestest Watcher I know, even before this."

"And Mr. Ha-, I mean Xander, what about you?"

"I'm just a one-eyed former carpenter that hit the best friend jackpot with Buffy and Willow. Not only do I have a valid driver's license to boot but I do windows."

"Can you tell us more about Buffy?"

"Well there's not really a whole lot more to tell then you know. She was the Chosen One, then a member of the Chosen Two, now she's one of the Chosen Many."

His answer wasn't exactly satisfactorily but he was saved from explaining further by their arrival at the castle. Buffy and Willow were waiting in the courtyard to greet them. Xander now had a new set of problems, namely filling Buffy and Willow in on what happened while not triggering their 'Xander-is-hiding-something' senses. Waving at his oldest friends, he moved to help Tori lift Satsu out of the car while. Renee opened her door, taking great care not to bump her wrist. There was concern on the faces of Buffy and Willow as they took stock of the injured Slayers.

"What happened?" Buffy queried.

Satsu winced as she put more weight on her injured ankle, her Slayer pride hurting as much as her ankle was. "Excuse us Ms. Summers we had some trouble." The other two Slayers nodded in agreement Renee holding her wrist while Tori lent her shoulder to her sister Chosen. Willow looked over at him with question on her face. Xander let out a sigh. "New punching buddy. He's big, gray, built like a tank, armored better then one and apparently he hits like a bulldozer."

"That's it? One newbie did this?"

"It wasn't the typical run of the mill, new demon. Wills, this guy was like nothing I had ever seen before."

"Don't forget the other one" Renee interjected.

"Other one? Xander I thought you said this guy was a solo act?" Willow asked.

"It wasn't the same," Satsu broke in, "The other one was more…humanoid. Mostly black. Kind of looked like a Knight thing."

Buffy, Willow and Xander exchanged looks. They all shared a not very good history with knights. Buffy voiced their collective concerns,

"A knight?"

"Kind of. Like a knight-robot guy. I think it was a guy."

Xander interjected, "No chance to check the oil?"

That got him a look from the five women around him and Xander was reminded why he missed having Giles around. Hell, he'd settle for Andrew at this rate. "Well the important thing is we they stopped him/it. Unfortunately not before some people got in the way."

Buffy looked downcast at the mention of loss of life. "It's starting again."

"No it's not Buffy, we're better then that, we're stronger then that."

"Especially you." Satsu's voice as almost whisper quiet but still audible, Buffy looked up and over at the younger girl. Then she smiled, "Thanks."

A cough from her left drew her attention back to Xander and she raised a questioning eyebrow. "Well the other bad news is, we weren't able to pick up any TAB. And Wills, ditto on the Herbal tea mix."

Buffy and Willow exchanged a look then looked at him with a particular expression on both of their faces which he was very familiar with.

"All right but I'm driving."

A short time later, the three members of the former Scooby gang where headed off down the road. Their destination was another fairly small, quiet town amongst many that dotted the Scottish countryside. The mission was the same; acquire supplies desperately needed to keep the forces of the Slayer army functioning at their highest level. And by that, what they really meant was pick up an odd assortment of items requested by the Slayers back at the castle ranging from Buffy's intensely guarded TAB soda to Lego's. Xander wasn't exactly sure why anyone outside of Andrew would want Lego's, let alone a member of the many Chosen sisterhood now. But his prior experience in dealing with powerful, gorgeous, smart, emotional young women who could snap a tire iron over their knees if the mood struck them had taught him to keep his mouth shut and buy the damn Lego's.

Xander's thoughts turned from the shopping list to the trip itself. The village they were heading for was farther away from the castle. The reasons they had decided to head here were mostly had to do with both keeping tabs on the locals and some good old-fashioned Scooby bonding.

Which is why they had been riding in complete silence since leaving the castle and probably would have been until they reached the town. That had ended when they emerged from some of Scotland's snakier roads to a sheep farm located near a fairly modest brook that had over the centuries gouged out a modest if deep ravine necessitating a bridge for the sake of modern automobile travel. The sheep farm was one of many across the country given the natives taste and affinity for all things wool and mutton.

Xander slowed down as he and the others rolled their windows down to get a closer look at the sight before them. Body parts and blood formed a decorative if macabre pattern on the grass. Most of the parts seemed to be of sheepish origin but Xander caught sight of a human leg with its corresponding boot-enclosed foot separated by some distance and stopped the car. Ignoring the tingling in the back of his head saying this was a bad idea, he exited the automobile aware that Buffy and Willow were doing likewise. From where they were, just past the bridge, they could see most if not the entire hillside was stained red with viscera and organs, in a disturbing abstract painting minus the gruesome artist.

Twin looks of disgust and revulsion crossed Buffy and Willow's face. Buffy had seen many a dismembering, even participating in a few but… to do this to sheep and people together in such a fashion. Buffy looked to have managed to push down her lunch as her Slayer senses kicked into high gear, looking for any sign of the thing that did this. Willow apparently was having a similar yet worse reaction, attuned now to the ebb and flow of nature's pattern as she was. To her, Xander guessed this represented a violent distortion, even tear in how life itself moved.

"Well now this is disgusting," Xander said, expressing his gift for understatement and earning stares from the girls. He was about to add to those comments when their facial expressions changed.

"Xander behind you!" They practically shouted.

He turned around and came face to face with the thing responsible for the impromptu butchery on the countryside, a big gray thing. Xander barely had time to register that it was the same creature from earlier before it grabbed him and hurled him like a lawn dart over the top of the hill towards a heavily wooded area. Buffy and Willow's shock was cut short as the creature turned its attention to them.

"Oh you are so going to regret that!" Buffy hit the car trunk with her fist and it opened obediently, allowing her to retrieve a short sword. Willow had begun chanting and channeling energy into her hands. Charging with righteous fury, the Slayer rushed at the monster and let loose with a mighty swing that stopped it. Or rather the monster stopped and stared at her. Buffy glared up at the demon as she felt the reverberations of the strike up her arms and into her shoulders. She moved for a follow up swing when Willow called out, "Buffy get out of the way!"

And she did, just a fireball zoomed past her and slammed into the demon squarely. Willow stared hard into the smoke then frowned; Buffy saw why as the creature stepped forward apparently unharmed by the blast. The two girls shared a look as they re-evaluated their opponent.

Meanwhile several hundred yards away, Xander was in no small amount of pain. Despite the monster's prodigious strength, he hadn't been hurt when it grabbed him. Nor was he hurt that badly when he slammed into one of many presumably centuries old English oak trees. No he, Xander Harris had managed to injury himself getting to his feet, preparing to rush back to help. He had overlooked where his feet were and had managed to badly twist his ankle. Such was the Harris family luck. The whooshing impact of Willow's fireball shattered his reflection. His friends were in danger, they needed his help, injured or not, he was the closest person. Wincing in pain, he managed to pull himself to his feet and gingerly took a step towards them. And almost immediately he crumpled in pain as his injured ankle tried to bear his weight. Okay so the miraculous healing powers of his youth were starting to fade a bit. Still, he had to help them somehow.

Help. That was the key wasn't it? Just help them somehow. He closed his eye trying to block out the pain while he thought of a way to help them in his injured state. As the thoughts raced thru his mind, his body experienced a strange sensation, something he couldn't quite describe despite all the words he knew. His eye opened as he gazed down and was somehow unsurprised to see once again the belt around his waist. Xander looked more carefully at it this time, noting the gap/holder where the phone went. He then noted that the phone itself was again in his right hand. It looked more like a normal phone then his recalled. Vaguely the former Sunnydalian pondered whom to call. The authorities? Somehow he didn't think they had a unit that could handle this. The castle would have help teleported here in minutes but every second was precious. That left him with only one real option, one he was reluctant to take. But for their sake, for Willow, for Buffy…

The number came from a memory he was vaguely disturbed he had, 5-5-5, then he hit the 'enter' button. As he snapped the case shut, a voice greeted him, "Standing by."

There wasn't time for debate or regrets as he slid the phone into the holder designed for it on the belt and said a simple word he had only heard once before in his own voice, "Henshin".

"Complete".

They had watched in silence as Buffy, Willow had left to complete their interrupted errand with Xander behind the wheel. After the car had vanished out of sight, Satsu drew a deep breath before getting the attention of the other two, "Follow me".

Renee and Tori looked at each other and did as she asked. However once they entered the castle it became apparent Satsu was not headed for her room or the infirmary Renee spoke up, "Um where are we going?"

"To the library, to look that bastard up."

"What?"

Satsu didn't answer Tori's question as they entered the room containing the books and other reference materials that Buffy and her group of Slayers, Witches and Watchers had managed to gather. Walking with a limp and a grimace she grabbed the top book off a precariously stacked column and sat down to read. Renee and Tori did likewise in silence around her. After a few minutes of awkward page turning, Satsu looked over at the least experienced member of the crew, "We're doing this for them."

"Them? How is this going to help Xander, Buffy and Willow?"

"Because next time, we won't fail and we'll be able to stop that bastard. For good."

That seemed to suffice and the Slayers commenced to reading upon the demon.

Buffy Summers had a lot of experience with being frustration. First there was the whole 'High school frustration' when the principal was trollish, the teachers were nasty and the mayor was totally evil. College had turned out to be a lot like high school only with added roommate frustration. Being the guardian to her younger sister/mystical artifact made flesh and blood had added the frustration type of 'Don't you dare think of wearing that outside this house young lady' to her portfolio. Finally being one of the only Chosen Slayers in existence had taught her very different forms of frustration. The first being that Slaying in general tended to get her wound up and ready to go (Faith had another way of putting it but Buffy wasn't going there). The second being that because she was the Slayer, the ability to sustain any sort of meaningful personal life was next to nil.

However at present she was dealing with another common type of frustration directly related to being a Slayer: weapon ineffectiveness. Wielding her sword like the experienced Champion she was, Buffy had scored what would have nearly a dozen different, serious if not fatal wounds on the monster. And yet, thanks to the very thick armor plating of the creature, all she had really accomplished was severely nicking up her sword and pissing her off.

"INCIDERE"

Another potent fireball blasted forth striking home on the demon but had the same effect as its predecessors, none at all. Willow was also frustrated, lacking access to her spell components and materials she was forced to go with spells that were great for dusting vampires, but not so great at dealing with opponents like the one she and Buffy currently faced. She was already considering more drastic measures when idea struck her. Rather then continue to target the monster ineffectively she gathered up more of her mystical strength and laid her hands on the ground. A line of green line erupted from where her hands and ran directly between the creatures legs before spreading out and fading. As soon as the light disappeared, the ground changed from solid rock to a thick muddy slop that she hoped would hinder the demon's movements. And indeed it did, allowing Buffy enough time to back off so they could re-group.

"Nice move, but do have you got any idea on how to actually finish this guy off?" Buffy asked.

Willow shook her head as she answered, "Nope, short of dropping the car into him or encasing him in stone I've got nothing."

"Well the car's out but why not the teleport trick?"

"I don't have the powdered shale I need to make it work."

"Great so maybe we should make with the running then?"

"But what about Xander?"

Buffy's reply was interrupted as a flicker of motion caught her and Willow's attention. Something had just slammed into their attacker sending it flying and inadvertently freeing it from its muddy hold. It took Buffy a few seconds to process the newcomer's appearance before she remembered Satsu's earlier remarks about a 'cyber-knight'.

"It's him, that guy Satsu mentioned."

Willow flashed back to their earlier conversation and nodded her head in agreement. The two watched as Satsu's 'cyber knight guy' squared off with the demon in what looked like a bare-knuckle street fight. Neither figure had the grace, or skill of a Slayer in Buffy's mind. The demon let out a might roar, charged and swung a massive over-handed swipe intended to decapitate its newest challenger. The Cyber-Knight-Guy (as Satsu had called him) had wisely ducked and retaliated with a series of punches that the thing actually appeared to feel. He then ended the mini combination with a straightforward kick that sent the larger monster sprawling. Enraged, the demon regained it's footing and bellowed as it rushed him intent on ending the contest once and for all. Unfortunately that's what newcomer had been waiting on. With a practiced air, he grabbed one of the things outstretched arms and flipped it's owner over his back, slamming it hard into the ground, creating a nice monster shaped crater in the process.

Mr. CKG took the opportunity to remove something from his back, which to Buffy's gaze appeared to be a foot long metallic tube. He knelt down and attached it to a rather hefty looking anklet on his right leg. His next action was something else she couldn't quite see. At this point however, the demon had staggered to its feet, apparently not quite ready to give up just yet. As soon as it made it to it's feet, the mysterious warrior type made his move and jumped straight up into the air.

Make that a good twenty or thirty feet straight up in the air, higher then anyone Buffy had ever seen without wings. At the apex of his jump a burst of red light erupted from the cylinder attached to his right leg and struck the creature. As soon as it hit, the light changed into what looked a large funnel, pulsating with red light. Mr. CKG for his part had altered his form while airborne and was now doing a flying kick aimed at the aforementioned funnel. Within a few seconds he contacted the funnel, entered it, then he and it seemed to vanish into the creature.

"Okay that was weird…"

Willow didn't pay attention to the rest of Buffy's statement because the creature began roaring and gesturing. She initially thought it was celebrating but then blue flames began appearing all over its body and it occurred to her, that the thing was in pain. The cry of victory was actually a howl of agony. Abruptly the creature stopped moving as Mr. CKG flickered back into existence landing as though his jump hadn't been interrupted at all. Seconds after he had landed, there was a flash of blue light and the seemingly invulnerable demon's body, shattered into pieces. Each piece then began crumbling into dust until only the head remained. The thing's head at first seemed like it was going to survive the destruction of its body but then it split into two halves right down the middle and following the same path of self-dusting.

When it was over, Buffy and Willow looked from where the rapidly vanishing remains to the mysterious newcomer. It turned to face them, which led to an awkward silent staring contest. Buffy forced herself to calm down, put a smile on her face and tried to approach their savior. "Hi, I'm Buffy."

The figure's response was to run and jump into the ravine located next to the scene of slaughter. And in doing so, it left behind a very confused Slayer and Witch, "Huh. You know Willow, guys usually don't run away from me until after they get to know me."

Willow walked up to her best friend, "You think that was a guy?"

"Could have been a girl. Could have been a robot. What do you suppose he, it was doing here?"

"I don't know Buffy, I guess he didn't like Scaly anymore then we did."

The two pondered the situation for a few minutes before their eyes met and widened as each thought of the exact same thing at the same time.

"XANDER!!"

Thankfully Buffy remembered the direction Xander had been launched in. Willow, energized by the need to find him, flew them in that direction. They found him lying facedown on the ground near the edge of the forest in front of a fairly impressive tree. They landed right beside him, holding their breath until they saw him draw his. With the greatest care, they managed to roll him over and gently shook him awake.

"Xander, Xander are you all right?"

A groan of the 'Ow make the world stop' variety escaped past his lips as his eye blinked open. He seemed out of sorts then focused on the faces of the two most important women in his life. "Buffy, Willow… What's going on?"

"Tell you in a minute. Are you all right?" Buffy was concerned

"Do you remember what happened?" Willow added.

"I remember bits and pieces of sheep, then a big gray blob grabbed me, then the scenery got blurry really fast, and just now you two." He winced "What I miss?"

They told him in brief fashion noting the dark look that came over his face. Xander slumped down and shook his head from side to side, "You know its days like this that I seriously consider giving up on this whole Watcher business." Not paying attention the to brief looks of shock that appeared on their faces, he continued, "Before I would get hurt with injuries of the bump, bruise and occasional limb-breaking variety. Now I get the funny concussions and miss out on all the important monster killing stuff. I'm turning into Giles."

Buffy had to smile at that part, "Giles got better eventually. You'll just have to ask him how he coped with it."

Xander glanced at her with a disturbed look on his face, "And if he says it's the tweed that saved him? Do you have any idea how tweed would look on me? It's not a pretty sight." Xander shuddered in a mock horror.

Buffy laughed. Willow smiled. "Well maybe we could start you out with something easy like polyester."

This time there was nothing fake about the shudder of disgust and fear from Xander. Laughing, the two women helped him to his feet and guided him back to their car, which had miraculously escaped damage during the battle.

After much arguing, Buffy managed to put Xander in the backseat and got behind the wheel. White-knuckled and sweating profusely Xander strapped himself in. In the passenger seat, Willow buckled herself as well before turning around to look at him with a bemused expression on her face. "Relax Xander, the scary part is over with."

"Says the lady who wasn't with Buffy the last time she drove."

"Hey! I'll have you know that was a one-time thing. I'm a thousand times better now," saying this Buffy took the car out of park, put it reverse, hit the gas and promptly mashed the rear bumper of their vehicle into the concrete bridge. Luckily the force wasn't great to trigger the air bags to deploy. Instead there was simply silence inside the car as Buffy looked embarrassed and Willow gulped and glanced back at Xander. For his part Xander simply sighed in resignation

"I warned you. But does anybody listens to the one-eyed Watcher? No sir"

In the end, Willow replaced Buffy behind the wheel for the remainder of their trip not only to the village but and on the way home. As they pulled into the castle courtyard, Willow parked in a spot near the entrance, which was crowed with Slayers and Dawn. Some of the Slayers saw looked down at the state of the bumper then at Willow as she exited the car. Dawn smirked at them as they caught out. "Buffy talk you into letting her drive again? What did she say this time, Xander?"

Her smirk disappeared as she watched Buffy and Willow help him out of the car and onto his feet. Nodding he leaned against the car as they opened the trunk and began having the other Slayers ferry the supplies into the castle. "Xander? Are you all right what happened? Did you guys get into an accident?"

"No, no accident, I'm pretty sure this guy did it on purpose."

"What guy?"

Buffy answered her sister, "A big gray demon, the same one Xander and the others encountered earlier."

"A Gurguiloness" came Satsu's voice from the doorway where she stood with Tori and Renee. The latter watched Xander intently. The Asian slayer held up a hefty tome. "At least that's what I think it is going by the entry Tori found in this book."

Willow frowned, "I've heard that name before." Satsu nodded, "We think they're the inspiration behind Gargoyles. They said to be mostly gray, heavily armored and travel in packs. We won't know for certain until we get a better look at this guy."

"Well a bit too late for that, your other buddy, Mr. Cyber Knight Guy took care of him."

Satsu's facial expression instantly changed. "What? Cyber Knight Guy?"

"Yeah the thing you said came and drove the Gurguiloness off. Well it showed up again and this time it dusted Mr.Gray and butt ugly, literally."

"So another new player in the game, huh?" Dawn interjected. "That's all we need."

"We'll worry about that later Dawn but here's something I know you needed." Xander reached inside a bag, removed something and showed it to the younger Summers sibling. Buffy took a second to read the title first to herself then aloud, "Hanah Montana?" She looked up at her younger sister with a question mark on her face.

Dawn ignored her, "What can I say? It reminds me of home."


	3. Chapter 3: Rumors

Chapter Three: Rumors

Exposure

By Adrian Tepes

Rating: PG-13 to R.

Summary: The actions of Champions bring changes across the world and to one man in particular. This is his story.

Disclaimer: All properties, characters, etc… are copyright of their respective owners. I make no profit off this and am writing for my own amusement and enjoyment.

Takes place during the S8 comics and follows/replaces/adds on to the series canon from there.

Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who helped me with this story. You know who you are. I couldn't have done it without you. You may archive just tell me where ie, shoot me a link.

Timeline: Takes place during S8 comics Issue #6, "No Future for you Part 2"

Chapter Three: Rumors

Jacob Bean watched and waited in the hours before sunrise. His shop was one of many in this area, selling a modest variety of items that a normal man might need. However at this hour his business had nothing to with normal men or the world they saw around them.

A bell's ring and the sound of a door opening announced he had a visitor, one he had been expecting for some time. Cautious footsteps signaled that he had company.

He barely raised an eyebrow from his seated position behind the shop counter. Overhead a single bulb flickered, feebly trying to keep him in its light. His visitors stopped a bit short, remaining in the dark even as their eyes shone with a faint golden light.

"Did you get it?"

Jacob received a growl in response. This was the drawback to using them, he reminded himself. Remorseless, killing machines they were--intelligent they were not.

"Yes. We got it but we have some problems."

"I already told you how to handle any problems."

"That's one of the things we wished to discuss. Your assistance was terminated."

He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, "How?"

"Slayers."

"You're lying. No Slayer would have stood a chance against Otos."

"It wasn't just any of them, it was the one True Slayer. The one they call… Buffy."

That name made things slightly more acceptable. "How?" Jacob asked.

"We don't know."

"Then how can you be sure she killed him?"

"She and the Witch were seen flying in the area."

Ah, yes, the redheaded friend of Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg. Unlike the Slayer, she could complicate things, forcing his hand early. He grunted slightly as he considered the information before focusing on his guests. There was an uncomfortable silence as he and his visitors regarded one another. "I take it you weren't seen?"

"No worries. The Slayer and Witch were too busy with him and the mess he made to notice us."

Jacob closed his eyes at the first bit of good news he had heard in this meeting. A smile graced his face, "Excellent."

Tori had known she was different all of her life. It started when she was just old enough to remember. She had been a usually quiet yet bright girl; 'a little angel' is what they called her. A few years later in elementary school, she took a liking for P.E. class and the library. In middle school, she was easily one of the most popular girls thanks to her combination of brains, looks and gym skills. Then, one day in the summer before she started her senior year in high school, her life changed. One minute she was struggling to move a cinder block to recover her wristwatch. The next, the block had been hurled through the air, breaking into the wall across the room and her wristwatch was momentarily forgotten.

A strange man with a British accent had appeared on the front door of her home back in California shortly afterward. She didn't catch his name, she only knew that one day she came home and found him in deep conversation with her parents. A few days later, some other people showed up. None were British and one of them was a nice, charming guy with one eye. She still wasn't exactly sure how Ms. Summers and Mr. Harris (She had to consciously remind herself to call them Buffy and Xander) had talked her parents into letting her leave, especially with the whole reveal about death, demons and other things.

An early morning run was something she had done all the time back home in San Diego. Back then all she had was her cell phone, an ipod and the sunrise. Now of course she found a way to carry a stake or three plus a knife. And Scotland's weather was not something she personally liked; it was way too damp and too cold for her tastes. Still if the head of the whole Slayer army, another golden girl like herself, could do it, so could she. She ran a variety of routes around the estate the Castle sat on, varying each one's path and stops so as not to fall into a pattern. Her path on this morning was mostly centered in the middle of the castle's lands. Currently she was jogging through a section of road that ran overtop of some of the area's steeper hills.

Tori had been making fairly good time when she felt the unmistakable sensation that she was being watched. That disturbing itch between her shoulder blades had been part of the whole Slayer package. As she moved further down the path, the itch increased and she surreptitiously began to check out her surroundings in greater detail. The dawn had not yet broken so the area was still cloaked in the fold of night. However, the early morning dew had begun to form, coating the area with a scent that reminded her of rain.

Tori slowed her jogging eventually coming to a halt atop a hill overlooking one relatively shallow valley below. From this vantage point she saw and heard nothing, just the stillness of an early Scottish morning. It was just occurring to her that maybe she should hear some birds, or frogs or even bugs when something slammed into the side of her head. Knocked off her feet, she hit the ground already trying to recover and catch sight of her attacker. Shaking her head she re-oriented herself and she saw, what had hit her.

Her attacker was fairly stout, had two large spikes emerging from his shoulders, was of a mottled grayish color and as it drew closer, she noted the presence of armor-like scales all over its body.

"Great another one," she muttered to herself as she managed to roll out of the way of the demon's follow-up attack and bounced to her feet. Every instinct in her body was screaming at her to attack. On the other hand, she knew for a fact that if she did attack this demon, she'd only really hurt herself. So the Slayer compromised, opting instead to run. She made it about five steps before it caught up to her. The Demon's claw-like hand gripped her shoulder and spun the young Chosen around to face it. Tori wrinkled her face at catching a whiff of the thing's awful breath. She noted that as far as its face was concerned, this one looked less like an insect and more like a bat.

Abruptly, she was shoved to the ground as demon took the opportunity to let out a howling laugh. The realization that it was indeed laughing at her had an unintended effect on the young Slayer.

"Okay now I'm mad."

Tori rose to her feet and charged her attacker. Moving with a speed that only a Slayer could, she feinted, drew the demon off balance and attacked its exposed knees, trying to chop it down to size. Staggered, the demon roared trying to regain control of the fight but Tori wouldn't let up and was rewarded when the thing hit the ground with a thud.

"Gotcha, you bastard." Smiling, she flipped open her cell phone to report in. "Yeah it's me. I got one. It's another Gurguiloness. No I'm fine. I need a team to help restrain him."

In those precious few seconds, she made the one mistake a Slayer should never make and took her eyes off the Demon as it lay on the ground. Sensing something amiss, she whirled only to see the place where the Gurguiloness had lain was now empty. Tori caught something moving out of the corner of the eye and reacted on pure reflex. She ducked and rolled as something whizzed around overhead. Standing back up, she saw that demon was now armed with a heavy-bladed weapon looked more like meat cleaver then a sword.

Wielding its new found weapon with surprising skill, the Demon moved towards her, careful never to give the Slayer an opportunity to do anything but back up. Mentally Tori cursed, knowing she was being herded backwards. Vaguely she remembered that this part of the path was the furthest from the castle and help. A loose stone on the path caused her to briefly stumble. The demon sensing an opportunity dashed forward. Vainly, she tried to regain her balance while seeking a way to ward off the attack that was aimed at her head. That's when she felt something forcefully grab her shoulder and yank her from the path. Tori managed to catch a glimpse of a dark figure before she landed on the suddenly very slippery and wet grass on the hillside. She paused, flipped her hair out of her eyes and was surprised at the scene before her.

What she saw was Satsu's 'Cyber Knight Guy' was now fighting her attacker and doing pretty well judging by how well he was forcing the demon away from her. Determined to help, she stood up and promptly slipped on the wet grass. Down the side of the hill she went, tumbling and cursing all the way down. Fortunately for her, she managed to avoid the rocks in favor of the really, really wet grass as she arrived at the bottom. Tori managed to stand-up again and take personal stock. Her clothes were damp, her hair was a mess and she was covered in bits of leaves, grass blades, dirt and other things.

"Tori!"

Looking up at the walking path atop the hillside, she noted two things. One it was currently occupied by a group of no less than six Slayers, all heavily armed. And two, there was no sign of her attacker or Mr. Knight Guy. The Slayer in charge of the group ended her musing by asking, "Are you all right?"

After examining herself once again, Tori had only one reply, "Fabulous".

"And you're certain about this information?" The Slayer wearing the headset nodded in affirmation.

"Well, there's confirmation. 'Mr. Cyber Knight Guy' as Satsu called him, knows where we live."

"Thanks Leah," Buffy said in a quiet voice. "Any word on the Demon?"

The red headed Slayer shook her head, "According to Tori, the Gurguiloness was last seen fighting with the um, Knight."

"Great. Now there are two wild cards to deal with. It's like being back in Sunnydale sometimes." Buffy paused. "Where's Xander? Wasn't he supposed to be on shift now?"

Leah tilted her head slightly, "Last time I saw him, and he seemed to be in a real hurry. I can put out a search if you want?"

"No I'll find him. Thanks though."

Buffy left the control room behind and gained a shadow almost instantly. Unconsciously she slowed her pace to allow the other person to keep up. "You don't have to take it easy on me you know" the younger woman said.

She stopped, turned and faced Satsu as the other Slayer caught up to her. The Asian slayer was almost healed her from injury but was still walking with a slight limp. "I'm not made of glass, I won't break."

"I never said you would. I just was being considerate. I'm thoughtful girl sometimes." Buffy smiled at the other girl.

"Come on, let's go find my Xander-shaped Watcher."

Satsu nodded and the two moved down the hallways of the castle looking for a missing Harris. After the first few places were Xander-free, Buffy began to get slightly concerned, at least until she saw Renee, his unofficial shadow. She confidently approached the other Slayer. If someone knew where Xander was, Renee would.

"Hey Renee." Her greeting drew the daydreaming girl back to reality. "Oh Miss Summers, hello. Hello Satsu." The Asian slayer nodded back.

"Where is Xander?"

In answer, she nodded at the doorway that marked the entrance to his room. Thanking Renee with a nod, she approached his door and knocked. "Xander?" Not receiving an immediate answer, she knocked again, this time asking in a louder voice, "XANDER?"

Buffy was rewarded with a groan that only be picked up super slayer hearing, "XANDER? Are you all right?"

There was a pause, before his familiar voice answered hers, "Yes. Just not feeling too good."

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"No, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"All right."

Xander listened as Buffy's footsteps retreated from his doorway. He could barely hear the limping walk that told him Satsu was accompanying Buffy as she left. Letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, he allowed himself to fall face first into his pillow. The attempted ambush of Tori disturbed almost as much as how he had interjected himself into the fight. Never had he run so fast in his entire life. Once he had gotten there, once again the belt and phone had made their appearance and he had used them. Then sprinting back to the castle, hiding before he could be seen, changing back, he collapsed in his room. The whole fight with the Demon had actually been the least exciting part of the whole experience. A soft knocking interrupted his musing, someone he knew and was expecting almost.

"Xander?"

"Yes Renee?"

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes Renee, I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

"I could bring you something to eat, if you want."

She was nothing if not persistent. He briefly considered how appropriate or inappropriate it was for a Slayer to use the 'Kill them with kind-ness' approach before answering, "I could take a sandwich, ham and turkey on-"

"White bread, yes I know. I'll be right back" As her footsteps faded, Xander sighed. As so often was the case in his life things were getting complicated.


	4. Chapter 4: Gold Dust Woman

Exposure

Exposure

By Adrian Tepes

Rating: PG-13 to R.

Summary: The actions of Champions bring changes across the world and to one man in particular. This is his story.

Disclaimer: All properties, characters, etc… are copyright of their respective owners. I make no profit off this and am writing for my own amusement and enjoyment.

Takes place during the S8 comics and follows/replaces/adds on to the series canon from there.

Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who helped me with this story. You know who you are. I couldn't have done it without you. You may archive just tell me where ie, shoot me a link.

Timeline: Takes place during S8 comics Issue #6, "No Future for you Part 2"

Chapter Four: Gold Dust Woman.

"You're being remarkably calm about this."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because", Buffy paused, "you're the one that insisted on all the layers of security in the first place. I'd thought you'd be a little more upset that someone managed to penetrate all of them without setting off an alarm."

Xander sighed, "Yeah there is that. It's just that we don't know anything about either one of these guys. The new demons or Satsu's new that buddy doesn't like them very much. "

"We need to come up with a better name for him."

"No more Mr. Knight Guy?"

Before she could respond, A Slayer from the research group interrupted them. "Here's the latest Mr. Harris."

"Oh thanks, Rose." He nodded at the dark-haired Slayer who smiled at them briefly before leaving the room.

"Mr. Harris? I thought it was 'Xander'?"

"Hey I'm trying. I didn't tell her or any of the others to call me 'Mr. Harris'. Besides you know Rose. She's more comfortable researching then actually Slaying."

"Awfully defensive there Mr. Harris" Buffy observed with a smirk. "What were they looking for anyways?"

"Oh I asked them to look up information on the artist formerly known as Gray and Scaly." Xander frowned slightly as he read the printout.

"What is it?"

"According to this, the Gurgiloness aren't really known as the dismemberment type. Says here they prefer to devour their prey whole."

"I think you were right the other night. You even sound like a Watcher now."

Xander lowered the printout he had been reading to look at her with an uncertain look on his face. "I do?"

"Yep. You had the girls researching a monster that's already been slain and even managed to pronounce its name right on the first try. I tell you a few more weeks and you'll be signing up for the tweed-ness."

"As I said once before. No power on this Earth will convince me to wear Tweed."

Buffy's grin disturbed Xander at his core.

Willow stood to look across the counter at Satsu. "So you think Tori's description matches that of the Gurguiloness?"

"Yes, Tori is a very smart woman. She's seen one up close before." Satsu explained.

"Okay. And you think the only option is to carry heavier weaponry?"

"Yes, it's the only effective countermeasure to them I can think of."

"Hmm," Willow mused, "there might be another way." She laid her hands on Buffy's beaten up sword. There were nicks and dings in the blade from the previous day's battle bearing silent witness to the strength and fury to both the Slayer wielding it and the demonic armor opposing it.

"Maybe there's a way to use this a sword like we did the Scythe." Willow spoke thoughtfully.

"How so?"

"Maybe I enchant the blade to never dull, never rust –"

"Or cut through tough demon hides?" Satsu interrupted.

"That too. It'll take some time to research the proper incantations and gather the materials though." Willow qualified.

"And you think Buffy would be okay with it?"

"Of course. Buffy's always been open to exploring new things."

"Where is it?"

"I'll never tell you or your kind anything."

"Humans."

A balding man with grayish-brown hair slammed into one of many racks of various knick-knacks in this store. Located far from the main thoroughfare it was meant to cater to those seeking more legitimate items of mystical power and origin. As such it turned a nice sum for its owner. Unfortunately it also led to situations like the present customers.

One of the gang approached the man who was now bleeding from a cut on his forehead. Snarling the man's face changed to reveal a more demonic visage. No longer needing to hide any further the Vampire gripped his human captive by the shirt and hauled him off his feet. "I'm not going to ask you again. Where is it?"

"A curse on your kind and the madman you're working with."

The Vampire growled, preparing to dish out more punishment when one of the members of its gang stopped him. "Hey, Silas. Check it out." The other vampire was holding up a bag, retrieved while the leader was intimidating the shopkeeper.

"Give me that you idiot." Silas snatched the bag from his minion as he passed his hostage to another underling. "Here hold him".

He opened the bag and withdrew what looked like a child's snow globe. Except most snow globes don't feature the glass globe grasped in claws and aren't marked with decidedly inhuman writings. "This is it. This is what we were looking for."

"So what do we do with him?" The minion restraining the human hostage asked.

Smiling, Silas turned to face the shopkeeper, "Well offhand I'd say that's our bonus."

There were smiles all around as the vampires closed in.

Xander read the numbers from his laser measure meter. He then compared the distance to the list he had memorized before his trip. Although it met the requirements he knew it had to, he elected to dig out his Sidekick to check just in case. As the head of control operations he wasn't supposed to be out here. On the other hand, he was apparently the only one with surveying experience in the castle so that meant he had to be out here.

"Mr. Harris, is it right?"

"It's Xander. My father was 'Mr. Harris." He smiled at her. "Yeah it's in range. Thanks for the assist Renee."

At least he had Slayer help; Renee had volunteered to accompany him once she heard he was headed out of the castle. Currently he was surveying the castle grounds to make the best usage of the newly installed radar and other surveillance devices. Sometimes as much as he liked having all these neat gadgets, he did miss his old hammer and tape measure.

Actually he missed more then that, he missed his job and construction crew.

And the Bronze. The Magic Shop. His apartment. Anya.

Xander shook his head and refocused on comparing the readout with the information stored in his sidekick. This was important work he was doing, keeping his new home safe. Buffy and Willow wanted any and all holes plugged so that certain 'knight-shaped' intruders couldn't penetrate. Which meant he had to be really careful when he…changed.

Renee walked towards him, a smile that would require surgery firmly etched on her face. She had just crossed the halfway mark when several trees near her promptly exploded, showering bits and bark everywhere.

"What the hell?" A stunned Xander wanted to know.

He got his answer when a familiar gray form leaped into his line of sight. Xander belatedly recognized this foe as the one that had ambushed Tori that morning. "How the hell did that get in here?"

"Duck!" Renee screamed.

Xander responded to Renee's warning as the demon opened its mouth and let loose what looked a focused roar on where he had been. He winced as his formerly expensive equipment shattered and cracked under the intense pressure of the blast.

Great. Now he had more stuff to replace.

Suddenly Renee was beside him, sword at the ready. He shifted slightly so he was behind her, out of the way. Xander grabbed her arm, drawing a surprised look from the Slayer. Xander shook his head, "Not here. We need to warn the castle."

She nodded and moved to follow him. Unfortunately, the demon had other ideas and charged, stretching its claws towards them. In response, Xander went one way, and Renee another forcing the Demon to pick a target. "I'll hold its attention Xander, get help."

Saying this, she let out a Slayer war cry and attacked. And she learned the lesson that Buffy had learned the day before about how ineffective conventional Slayer weaponry was. The resounding clang of metal vs. the hardened skin of the demon echoed throughout the woods.

Xander reached for his phone, intent on getting help one way or another. By the feel of his phone and the sudden weight around his waist, he knew immediately at least one option was off the table. Without looking at the phone, he dialed the number as though it was second nature, than slid the phone as he said the final part needed for the transformation.

"Henshin."

"Error."

"What?" He barely got the word out before he blasted backwards by a nasty electric jolt. Xander bounced off a tree behind, dropping the phone in the process and letting out a groan. "What the hell happened?"

His first thought was that the demon had blasted him but a quick look and listen told him that Renee was still fighting with it. Next he looked down and there he found his answer. The belt he was currently wearing was not the same one he had worn previously. This one was black as before but the red was replaced with yellow. Looking around he found an extremely odd looking pistol hanging off his right hip. "This looks like something out of laser tag."

He stood up and hunted for a bit before finding the phone. Like the belt it was black and yellow, with a looking purple symbol where the original had a yellow and red one. Experimentally, he pushed the cover and saw another way this one was different. Both the previous phone and his personal one were flip models. This one was of the slider design where the cover rotated up and out of the way. And as soon as he moved it to where he could see the whole keypad, he felt a much weaker electric jolt go up his arm. More like his arm tingled after he had been laying on it.

As the tingling subsided, he somehow knew what to do. He did as he had the first time, pressing three numbers on the keypad, repeating them to himself. "9. 1. 3." He then slid the cover shut and heard a familiar greeting, "STANDING BY". Xander barely noticed that this voice was decidedly deeper than the other phones as he inserted the phone into the belt.

"Henshin".

"Complete."

Xander saw gold light encircle his body.

Amid her cries and demonic roars, Renee discerned a familiar and welcome sound, engines. She grinned as several 4x4s pulled up around her, one of which sported a familiar driver. Buffy Summers chucked her helmet off and moved to stand alongside Renee as the other Slayers arranged themselves beside them. Buffy reached behind her, asking, "Situation?"

"I can't seem to get through its armor" Renee replied. "And it's got a horrible singing voice."

"So we heard back in the Ops room" Buffy responded. "I can't do much for that but I found something I think will work on his armor." She revealed around a very modern looking crossbow and notched an equally modern arrow. The other Slayers did the same around them.

"What's that?" Renee gestured at the weapon.

"Latest remake of a classic", Buffy answered. Saying that, she and the others pointed their weapons at the Demon who was standing and watching them. "Ready? Aim. FIRE!"

All the Slayers in the group fired at the same time, each arrow striking home. Then to Renee's surprise, each arrow exploded, kicking up a huge dust cloud.

Buffy smiled as the Slayers around her cheered. She turned to face Renee who looked was surprised and a little bit sad. "There, that wasn't too hard." The dark-skinned girl wasn't so sure, "Look", she pointed at the cloud. Buffy reluctantly turned to face where she thought the demon's remains would be. Only as the cloud parted, there were no Demon remains to be seen.

Instead the Demon itself stood snarling at the group. Buffy's instincts kicked in as she and the others scattered before the demon released its roar that caught several of the 4x4 in its scope. Buffy spared a glance the aftermath noting that the one she had driven, was in the worst shape.

"Oh you are so going to pay for that." Sudden movement interrupted her as a dark shape appeared out of the corner of her eye. She and the rest of the Slayers turned in unison as the figure landed on a newly created tree stump. Buffy heard another Slayer voice her own thoughts, "Another one?"

Indeed it was another one, another of Satsu's 'knight guys'. Like the first one, this one was mostly black, with all sorts of stuff hanging off of his belt, topped with a head that featured a pair of panels that resembled eyes. There the similarities ended as this character featured yellow instead of red and silver. The eyes as Buffy thought of them were deep purple. With an imperceptible nod, it hopped off the tree stump and approached the Slayer's foe. The Demon snarled, then roared before attacking the newcomer.

The newest knight didn't wait for the demon, opting instead to charge. It took Buffy a few seconds to discern while the first knight fought like a brawler, this one didn't. He deflected the wild swings of the demon, and threw several punches, repeatedly hammering the monster's head. At length, the knight drew back and connected with a punch that had enough force to launch the monster several yards through the air.

As the demon lay gurgling, the knight grabbed the weirdest looking gun Buffy had seen off its right hip. This it pointed at the now standing Demon and fired, emitting a destructive rain of yellow energy at the monster. The now smoking charred demon roared it's defiance and let loose with the now familiar blasting attack that wreaked havoc where the knight had been standing.

The intended target of the demon's rage had moved before impact. The knight paused and did something to the gun he was holding. Buffy heard a very monotone voice say "Ready" and then a large bladelike spike emerged from gun's grip. Armed with a new weapon, the knight moved to engage the demon before it could roar again. The Slayers exchanged uneasy glances as the knight scored several strikes and slashes against the monster.

"Buffy? Miss Summers? What do we do?" One of the Slayers that had accompanied her, asked. "I don't…know." Buffy honestly replied.

That brief conversation was enough to catch the attention of the knight as its head faced towards the girls. Standing straight up, it flipped open the rather impressive belt buckle revealing a keyboard for all to see. He then pressed on specific button, in response Buffy heard a voice say "Exceed Charge". After that, a burst of yellowish light emerged from the buckle traveling up the lines of the knight's armor, up his arm and entered the gun/sword thing weapon. The knight then carefully aimed at the smoldering demon and squeezed the trigger.

This time just one blast of energy was fired, larger then the rest. It hit the demon and spread it over its body. Encased as it was, the foul thing struggled to move. In response the knight took a stance with its knees bent, holding the weapon behind him at an angle. Buffy wondered what was going on when she saw it. A large yellow 'X' made up of coalesced energy. The knight seemed to be moving towards it without moving, and then he and the 'X' slammed into the demon at the same time. The monster reacted to the impact as the barrier holding it in place vanished.

Then the knight shimmered into view behind it, holding his weapon high above his head. Buffy saw a blue flash as blue flame erupted all over the creature, which similar to its predecessor, started distingrating into dust.

If Buffy was reluctant to act, Renee wasn't, "Hey, you!" She started towards the figure with determination etched on her face. "Who are you?" she demanded. The knight seemed a bit surprised then took off through the woods.

"Damnit. Not again," Buffy vented. Beside her, Renee looked back and forth, than let out a yelp, "Xander!" And she was off running. Buffy right on her heels, her frustration forgotten.

After what seemed too long Buffy caught up to Renee standing in the middle of the woods. "What the-", she was cut off by the unmistakable sound of retching. Both Slayers had expressions of disgust as they looked for the source of that sound. Then they saw where it was coming from. Xander Harris was lying slumped over a fallen tree, facing away from them, emptying his stomach. The girls exchanged a glance and approached him gingerly.

"Xander?" Buffy asked quietly.

He let out a groan then slid around to face them. He face was flushed, as he looked at them. "Sorry," he struggled, "Got a little too close to Mr. Noisy. Scrambled everything all up. Makes a great ride, minus the. The."

"The nausea?" Buffy offered.

"The sickness?" Renee asked.

"The part where I throw up", he whirled around and started retching again.


	5. Chapter 5: People with No Name

Exposure

Exposure

By Adrian Tepes

Rating: PG-13 to R.

Summary: The actions of Champions bring changes across the world and to one man in particular. This is his story.

Disclaimer: All properties, characters, etc… are copyright of their respective owners. I make no profit off this and am writing for my own amusement and enjoyment.

Takes place during the S8 comics and follows/replaces/adds on to the series canon from there.

Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who helped me with this story. You know who you are. I couldn't have done it without you. You may archive just tell me where ie, shoot me a link.

Timeline: Takes place during S8 comics Issue #6, "No Future for you Part 3"

Chapter Five: People With No Name.

Jakob Bean smiled as he watched his last customer of the day depart. Under normal circumstances, he would have remained open until sunset, but today was far from normal. He flipped the 'Closed' sign on his shop door, locked the door and closed the shop as he did each every night. Finished with his duties, he retreated through the door behind his counter. Behind that door lay a hallway with stairs at one end and a door at the other. The stairs led up towards the apartment above the shop where he lived but that wasn't where he was headed.

Muttering a language that had gone unheard for eons, he waved his hand before the door. A set of sigils and glyphs encircling the doorframe glowed then faded, granting him entrance. Bean opened the door and began descending the staircase into the darkness below. Originally this building's cellar had been rather simple, if large. Now the cellar was anything but simple and he had enlarged it further to suit his own purposes. Step by step he descended further into the darkness, past the original cellar into chambers of his own crafting. Here, the architecture no longer resembled the world above, but rather a world of long ago.

At last, he came to the end of the stairs, a lengthy corridor that held a single door on one side and many other doors on the opposite side. Bean opened the solitary door, and stepped inside a dark room. With a few muttered words, candles were lit illuminating the room even as they cast shadows within it. From a chest he withdrew a black disc and squeezed it tightly. As the warmth spread through his hand, he began speaking.

"I have the key orb in my possession now."

There was a long pause and a voice answered him, "Excellent. I assume you still want the map?"

"Of course, the orb is of little use without it."

"Sending now." As the voice stopped, a letter shimmered into being in front of Bell. He grabbed it and eagerly opened it. A cursory examination confirmed it held the information he wanted. "Yes this is it. A map to return the land to my people."

"As we agreed."

"Yes, as we agreed." Jakob conceded, "Everything is going according to plan."

"Even the destruction of another one of your pets?"

Bean paused before answering, "Ephialtes's demise was unfortunate but not unforeseen. He and his brother were strong, unthinking loyal brutes. Their siblings hold much more promise."

"They better fulfill that promise soon as per our agreement."

"They will. I've already seen to that."

"The Slayer and her friends?"

Bean examined the crystal sphere he held, "I have an idea for them too."

In a parking garage, a game of hide and go seek was being played out. Two men and a woman were fleeing for their lives. One of the men was limping from a leg wound. The other two tried to help him as best they could. As they reached the stairs, the injured man's leg buckled and he crashed to the ground.

"Go. Get out of here" he implored the other two.

"No way. We've gotten this far, we're not leaving you behind" the other man, a youthful looking blonde replied.

The woman shook her head, "Remember what you said back at the crossroads. Either we all get out or none of his get out. Come on Gary don't give up on us now."

"Linda," Gary managed to get out before a noise reached the trio. He quickly made a decision, "There is no time. Run, now. I'll stall them for as long as I can."

"Gary, please…"

"Linda, I'm sorry I won't be able to fulfill my promise to you. Go."

Linda nodded as the other man grabbed her and they fled. The couple disappeared around the corner as their pursuers rounded into view. A group of burly men none older then their late forties, upon seeing the prone form of Gary lying on the ground, moved with unnatural speed to surround him. Their leader addressed the fallen man, "Well where are they Gary? Where are Linda and Paul?"

"Fuck you Silas."

Silas gestured and two of his underlings manhandled Gary into standing between them. As soon as they were finished, Silas moved to stand in front of him, then backhanded him. "Quit being stubborn. This all could have been done quietly without anyone getting hurt. Now because of you, lots of people are going to get hurt."

Gary's response was to spit on his face. "I'll never help you."

Silas turned as he wiped his face, then smiled. "Oh but you're going to help us. You, Linda, and Paul are all going to help us. You may not think so but soon you will."

Gary struggled to free himself, intent on one last act of defiance. "You go to hell."

Silas's face changed to a more demonic looking one, "Home sweet home. For me and you."

"And next thing I know, all of my tools are trashed" Xander paused, "and I've told them over and over about not touching my tools."

"Aye lad, you truly have a saint's patience to deal with that lot," the older man replied. "Give us a fortnight or two and I'll have most of the stuff on your list ordered and on its way here."

"Thanks Mr. Fitzgerald." Xander was truly grateful to get everything that had been destroyed replaced, even if he had to lie somewhat about what had broken it.

"It's no bother. You'd best be running along before your little lady friends break anything else."

Xander thanked him again and left the shop. His top priority after the last attack had been finding replacements for everything that had gotten trashed. Luckily for him, there were several small towns that had what he needed. After seeing to his tools, Xander's next stop was seeing about getting a replacement for Buffy's destroyed 4x4. Or at least that's where he was headed before a young woman literally ran into him and knocked them both to the ground.

"Hey watch where you're going lady."

Seeing the panicked look on her face, Xander instantly regretted saying that. The woman nodded, "I'm sorry…I-", she swallowed trying to regain her composure, "I'm sorry, I was in a rush and I didn't see you."

As they stood up, Xander noted the rough state the woman's clothes and asked, "Are you all right? You look like you need help."

"Yes I'm f-" Her reply died as a man's scream rang out.

"Okay, that definitely wasn't normal. Listen, lady, you wait here. I'll be right back." Xander began walking in the direction of the scream when he felt the woman grab his arm.

"Don't. It's too dangerous," she cautioned him.

"Look, something's going on and I want to find out what." He tugged his arm free and continued walking. Rounding a corner, he stepped into an area that was heavily shaded and filled with overhangs. Judging by his surroundings, this area had been a thriving marketplace one. Now he guessed the only thing thriving was the rat and bug population.

"This is stupid. What I'm doing is stupid. I should just call Buf-". He nearly jumped as he felt someone touch him. Jerking his head around he saw it was the woman from earlier. "I, I couldn't watch you go back alone."

"Thanks. I'm Xander"

"Linda.'

"All right then Linda, what's going on? Why are you so freaked?"

At that moment several men ran into their view and stopped. The largest, a bald headed man that was easily taller then he was, grinned at them.

She just nodded and said, "Them."

"Ah, there you are. And how considerate of you to find us a snack." His face then changed revealing a more demonic visage.

"Yeah I could see how that would freak out anyone."

Buffy glanced down at the pile of mangled weapons that lay on the table. Each bore marks of heavy usage in combat against their newest demonic opponents. The blades were nicked, handles broken, and in some cases, the weapon itself was bent. She brought her gaze back up to the other people in the room. "Let's go through this again. These new heavily armored demons show up. Conventional slaying tools don't work. So you want to plug into the magic wall socket to ginzu our weapons up?"

Willow answered, "Well, not exactly. I think I can magically sharpen and enhance the blades on our normal weapons to the point where they can pierce and cut through these demons armors. Kind of like how the Scythe was made, only not as permanent."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at the mention of the weapon she wielded in the last days of Sunnydale. "The Scythe was unique Willow. The Guardian said it was made for me and waiting until I was ready. How can we duplicate that?"

"We can't. I don't know the first thing about how to forge a sword or anything. Maybe Xander does but I do know how to use a knife sharper."

"So you want to be a badass Wicca knife sharper."

"Yes," she beamed.

"Why would Mr. Harris," both girls turned to look at Renee, "I mean Xander, know how to forge a sword?"

"Well he's the tool guy," Buffy said. "Or he has been for the past few years."

"So," Satsu began, "he has a fixation with his equipment. He didn't name anything did he? "

"Only his tape measure and hammer." Willow answered, he called them "Mjolnir and Stretch."

Silence, then Satsu nodded, saying, "Okay, that's not strange at all."

"Well, they were gifts. From Anya," Willow admitted.

There was an awkward silence in the room after that before Buffy spoke again, "Where is he anyway?"

Renee answered, "He said he was going into town to replace the things he lost."

Xander cursed as he emerged from the stairwell still holding Linda's hand. He could be thousands of miles away from Sunnydale and still the Harris luck would hold. They had managed to elude their undead pursuers in the crowded and deserted back streets for a bit. They had ended up ducking inside a random building and dashing up the stairs. Now they were on the top floor of a five-story building where all the windows had been bricked in and boarded up. The only company, aside from the usual vermin, was the gang of vampires he was pretty certain that was coming to kill them.

Xander decided right then and there that his life was a constant state of suck, only interrupted by periods of slightly less suck. Scanning the hallway he and Linda found themselves in, he noted on their left was an open entranceway directly opposite was a pair of doors marking where an elevator would open. Quickly they ran inside the opening way and found themselves in a huge empty room. With his practiced eye, Xander could see the spots where the windows would be had they not been bricked up and closed off.

"Fabulous."

"I was just about to say something similar."

Xander turned to see the vampire he presumed was the leader, emerge from the darkened hallway. He guessed him to be half a head taller and broader then he was. Other vampires emerged from behind their leader and advanced upon them. Trapped in a closed off building with certain death approaching, Xander wondered what else could go wrong. He was answered when Linda bolted from his side heading for the leader. Before he realized what was going on, he felt his arms being pinned as vampires on other either side restrained him. The leader smirked, then turned to follow the fleeing woman.

"Bring him."

Xander was forcibly escorted from where he was to be nearer the entranceway where he could see the hallway. The leader stood across the way holding the woman up by her throat. "You've caused us quite a bit of trouble."

"Let her go."

The leader regarded him coldly, "Wait your turn boy. I'll be finished with her soon enough."

"Leave him alone. He isn't a part of this."

Xander felt the hair back of his neck stand up as he listened to Linda plead for his life.

"Enough," the vampire said at last, "time for playing is over with." He looked at the woman then at the gap between the doors. Without any further warning, he flung the woman thru the doors into the open elevator shaft. She barely had time to scream as she disappeared from sight plunging down.

As the vampires paused to listen to her shrieks, he moved and wrenched himself free from their grasp. Xander quickly produced a cross from within his coat. That had the desired effect of backing the vampire gang members away from him. The leader watched this with a curious expression on his face, "There's more to you then meets the eye, isn't there, boy? I'll guess I'll take my time ripping that information out of your lungs."

Xander didn't respond as he removed the now familiar phone from around his waist. He spared a glance down at it and was gratified to see it was the red one. With a flick of his wrist, he flipped open the phone cover and started dialing.

"Calling for help, kid? What are you gonna tell them when they answer?"

He finished entering the code sequence then snapped the phone cover shut with another wrist flick. With a mental sigh, he lowered the cross as he positioned the phone over its slot in the belt. Xander looked the leader dead in the face as he spoke, "Henshin." and slid the phone home, completing the connection.

"Complete."

Red lines erupted from the belt and wrapped around his body then flared brighter obscuring his form from view. When the light died down, he was again encased in black and silver armor. The vampires were surprised, all save the leader, who merely said, "Neat trick. Get him."

The first vampire lunged forward and punched in the face, only to recoil backwards from the pain, nearly breaking his hand on the helmet. A second vampire stepped forward and threw two kicks at his midsection and chest. Both bounced harmlessly off him and left the vampire looking confused. Xander's reply was audible throughout the room, "My turn."

He punched the second vampire in the face and was doubly rewarded with the sound of bones breaking and it dropping to the ground. Another vampire charged in only to have its attack blocked and then be pummeled by Xander's rain of punches. Each strike was rewarded with the sound of bones breaking and the vampire groaning in pain. Afterward it was summarily tossed aside.

The first vampire, having recovered its courage grabbed him from behind and tried to bite him. That attempt was thwarted by the armor Xander now wore and he responded with a head-butt that stunned the creature. He then flung it over his shoulder. Xander then advanced on the final vampire who had remained by the wall, apparently too stunned to move. He reared back and threw a punch only to see the blood sucker duck out of the way at the last minute. He and it were surprised as his arm met the wall and then went thru it.

Behind him, he could hear the vampires quickly re-grouping to attack. With a grunt, he ripped his arm free from the wall, tearing a massive hole in it as he did so. The act surprised the monsters and gave them pause.

Xander used the time to remove a cylinder from around his waist with one hand. With the other, he removed a small part from the phone/buckle and then inserted it into a notch at the base of the cylinder. He was rewarded with a voice saying, "Ready." and then a long metallic rod emerged from the cylinder.

The vampire leader sensed the danger in the air, "Don't just stand there, idiots, Get him."

Xander flipped open the cover of the phone and pressed a button as the gang charged him.

"Exceed Charge."

A compact red light flowed upward through the various parts of the armor until it reached the weapon. There it entered the weapon and the blade lit up bright red. All this happened just as the first vampires closed within striking range.

Xander acted instantly, slashing the first one across the chest, then moving and cutting his way through all of them. When he emerged all of the vampires bore a burning red slash across their torso. They collectively groaned then exploded into ash.

The vampire leader had enough and was preparing to run but Xander was faster. He reared back with the weapon, then swung upwards, discharging energy from the blade into a mass that flashed across the ground to where the leader was. There, it encircled him and he floated upwards, unable to effectively resist or move. The leader felt himself being rotated around to face Xander again and realized his fate was sealed.

He grinned as he spoke, "All that and you still couldn't save her. The best part was you never could."

"What's your name, ugly?"

He laughed. "My name is Silas. Sired in the great cause of the 50's."

"That's nice. Let me ask you. Do you know what time it is?"

"What?"

"Find out for me."

With that Xander kicked Silas as hard as he could in the stomach and sent the vampire flying through one of the openings that had been a window. Silas yelled in surprise as he slammed into and through the wall emerging high in the air and into broad daylight.

By the time Xander had crossed over to the new opening, all that remained was the subtle traces of ash falling to earth. With a grunt he leapt down from the building to the street below. De-transforming, he glanced up at the sun as he made his way back to where he had left his vehicle. The first thing he planned on doing back at the castle was taking a long hot shower and in the hopes that it would get him clean..

Bean felt his patience growing thin. He had given Silas this assignment specifically because he knew the vampire leader would find it enjoyable and within his area of expertise. Now he was having second thoughts about trusting such a valuable task to such an individual. Bean could have used one of the options given to him by his partner but discounted those out of hand. He both disliked and distrusted the man, sensing such feelings were mutual.

The sound of footsteps broke through his musing and he focused on the room door. Here beneath the earth, only a handful of individuals had the location and means of entry. There was a pause, then the door opened to admit several parties into the room.

And for the first time in many years, Jakob Bell truly smiled

An evil smile filled with hate to be sure but it was also filled with accomplishment and confidence.

"Seems Silas wasn't as incompetent as I thought. Good. Now we can truly begin."

He received no answer from the owners of three sets of burning eyes that watched with obedience and devotion in their eyes.


	6. Chapter 6: Fighter

Exposure

By Adrian Tepes

Rating: PG-13 to R.

Summary: The actions of Champions bring changes across the world and to one man in particular. This is his story.

Disclaimer: All properties, characters, etc… are copyright of their respective owners. I make no profit off this and am writing for my own amusement and enjoyment.

Takes place during the S8 comics and follows/replaces/adds on to the series canon from there.

Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who helped me with this story. You know who you are. I couldn't have done it without you. You may archive just tell me where ie, shoot me a link.

Timeline: Takes place during S8 comics Issue #6, "No Future for you Part 4"

Faint moonlight shone down on the group of four figures as they arrived at their destination. Jakob Bean pulled the hood back from his face, smirking as he did so. He and his assistants had journeyed back to where this plan had originally begun, nearly thirty years ago. His helpers had been very different years ago, as had he, all of them eager to begin their lives. Of course he had held the upper hand then and he still held it now. He held aloft the key in one hand, "Now", speaking to himself, "for some batteries".

Buffy frowned as she stepped aside to avoid a particularly unpleasant looking spot on the ground. Around her walked Willow, Satsu and several other slayers spread across the area. They were finally intent on putting Willow's newly fashioned sharpening spell to the test. Fortunately for them, having their own private Scottish castle complete with isolated surrounding lands, gave them a lot of leeway and privacy to carry out the test.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Buffy looked back at Satsu, "Oh nothing, just wondering why I let you and Willow talk me into testing this out tonight. One of my favorite episodes of Passions is on tonight."

Satsu couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice, "You watch Passions? I would have thought you hated that show."

Buffy smiled, "I did, but someone --it was their favorite TV show and seemed like the least I could do was watch it with them."

"That doesn't sound like too big of a deal" Satsu commented.

"It wasn't to--us," Buffy halted, "we thought it was just comfort at first." The last part she said more to herself then anyone else. Looking up, she peered in to the surprisingly close face of Satsu. The Asian girl held an intense look in her eyes. "Maybe I should just stop trying to remember what happened in the past and move on, huh."

"Buffy!" Willow's voice brought both Slayers back to reality, and she addressed her best friend, "Huh?"

Willow landed a few feet away, "There are some rock formations not too far away from here, that should be good enough for the spell test."

"Cool."

Renee walked with the comfort of a Slayer patrolling in the evening, turning she addressed her companion. "So you think they'll be able to pull it off?"

Xander didn't miss a beat with his answer, "When we were eight years old, Willow figured out how to set and record all of the good Saturday morning cartoons so we could sleep in. Renee, Buffy's always gotten the handle of new things very quickly. I'm sure they'll be fine."

The dark skinned girl continued moving alongside him. "So why then are we secretly following them?"

"Because… well I want to see this for myself and being back inside the Castle on a night like this drives me batty." That much was true. He didn't, however, voice his other reason; that the telltale Hellmouth-y feeling of impending doom had reappeared in the air.

They had almost reached the rock formation Willow had described when the fog appeared. It billowed forth from nowhere it rolled across the landscape and engulfed the group. The fog was thicker than normal fog, clinging to every surface across the ground, hiding even their feet from their vision. Its presence seemed to dampen and dull the senses, even the sounds of the night felt muted. Then from a slayer on her right, Buffy heard, "What the hell was that?"

Everyone stopped, Buffy unconsciously noting that Willow and Satsu both were fairly close to her. "What happened?"

"The fog. There's something in the fog!" a girl yelled from her left, Buffy whipped her head around trying to see what was going on.

"Everyone stay together", Satsu yelled out. "Willow, what is going on?" Buffy turned to see the witch was unconscious on the ground. "Willow!"

The fog rippled as the shadows within it closed in.

They had been walking in silence when Renee stopped and peered into the night ahead of them. "What is it?" Xander asked.

"Something's wrong, I heard shouting and now nothing." She pointed in the direction they knew Buffy's group to be heading in. "That way."

As soon as she finished, he took off running. Renee hesitated briefly and followed. Despite her Slayer senses, it took a bit of effort for her to find Xander and then catch up to him. Maybe it was combination of concern and dread that had filled him but Xander didn't let up even as he felt his legs burning and tiring from the exertion. Beside him Renee ran unflinchingly in the darkness, racing to assist her sisters in arms. Somehow, despite the darkness, neither had an accident and both arrived at the scene quickly.

Before them lay Buffy's group who had departed the castle earlier that night. As Xander tried to recover from his run, he looked over the girls. A sigh of relief went through his body as he released none were seriously hurt. Then a chill ran up his spine as something else became apparent.

"Where are they?"

Renee looked up from her efforts to rouse Satsu, "Where are who?"

"Buffy and Willow, They're not here. Where are they?"

Satsu's voice was weak and filled with sleep as it broke the night air, "-The fog took them."

Renee looked down at the other girl, "What do you mean the fog? What fog? What took them?" She looked up again and saw that Xander had vanished.

"XANDER!"

Buffy's eyelids seemed to weigh tons as she awoke from her unplanned nap. Blinking away the sleepiness, she tugged at her arms and legs only to find them unmoving. A glance at both revealed she was firmly manacled to a large stone slab. Looking around, she saw Willow was similarly bound to another stone slab across the way. Around them, she could several large stones arranged in the ground.

"Ah good, you're awake." A man's voice drew her attention back as an older man dressed in odd robes entered her field of vision. His face was well worn with lines and signs of a harsh life etched upon it. Dark hair slowly graying at the temple framed the dismissive look he gave her.

"And you are?" Buffy asked.

"I am Jakob Bean."

"So kidnapping and assault are your hobbies then?"

"No dear girl," he glared at them. "My 'hobby' is the complete and utter destruction of England."

During this time, Willow roused herself from sleep, looked around and had the same questions as her friend. "What's going on?"

Bean's face held no expression as he answered, "What's going on, dear witch, is the end of the barbaric tyranny that you outsiders brought up this pristine land."

"Outsiders? We just moved here and-"

Bean cut Willow off with an angry wave of his hand. "Silence. From the very early days of what your people call civilization, you have sought to undermine and destroy all that was different from you. Even the native people of this great island fell before you. Now with this." He displayed a ball-shaped thing gripped by a pair of demonic claws. "I shall open the gates and burn away your kind, leaving only my people, the original inhabitants of this land, who will once again rule it."

Buffy and Willow processed this information and came to the same identical conclusion. "You're insane."

Before Bean could retort, the sound of someone stumbling and running through the woods reached their ears. The three of them turned as a fourth figure tumbled through the bushes bounced off a rock and came to a stop. A familiar groan reached the ears of the girls and they responded, "Xander!"

Xander sat up and shook his head. "Wow, I really never should do that again."

Xander looked around and noticed the status of the two girls. "Oh hi, I'll be over there as soon as you guys stop spinning."

"Odd," Bean mused aloud, "I would have thought the barrier barred any and all mystical assistance."

"Mystical? I'm not mystical. I'm a carpenter. Well a former a carpenter", Xander stopped rambling after realizing what he had said. Jakob took the other man's words with a smile, "So, a foolish young man with matters of the heart on his mind, comes to join his ladies fair in their demise."

Before the young people before him could protest, he snapped his fingers and three other figures stepped from the darkness around him. Standing up, Xander recognized one of them right away. "Hey, Linda. You're alive. But what is going on here?"

Jakob Bean smiled at the young man's confusion, "So I see you met 'Linda' and perhaps her companions already."

"Yeah they were running away from some serious trouble. Why are they with you? Are you protecting them now?"

"No, dear boy. They serve me. Show them."

Dark Shadows and lines appeared on the faces of Linda and the two men. Their bodies seemed to contort briefly before ripping apart and giving way to new forms beneath them.

Heavily armored forms, not unlike those of the previous newly encountered demons now stood before them, each covered in what looked like layers of thick scales and spikes over their bodies. Wisps of white smoke trailed from the corners of one's mouth.

Bean himself was indecently proud, letting a tone of smugness enter his voice, "Impressive, wasn't that boy?"

Xander had no answer as he stared at the thing that had been the woman he saw plunge to her death earlier, "What--what are they?" he managed at last.

"An experiment of mine from decades in the past when I was much younger and still seduced by the corrupt society around me. I even worked as part of the establishment then. Selling the soul of the land to those would destroy it. By the grace of destiny, in my pursuit of corruption I found redemption in a cave where a message called to me. It tore apart the lies and falsehoods that were the work of your kind and offered me a way to re-take this land from its thieves. Through it, I found a curious group of assistants. Only the two larger, older ones were still alive, the other three were seemingly beyond hope. Until I made the acquaintance of a London man and his friends, that is. There, I found the knowledge I needed to save those three small lives."

"At the cost of three people" Buffy observed.

Bean seemed unruffled. "Tourists. Who cares what their lives were? All was done for the greater goal. With the aid of my newfound friends, I was able to bind the remains of the three shattered souls and give them new lives in place of those bloody yanks. It's quite an involved process; I understand many other races long forgotten lived the same way. It's appropriate to use a forgotten, neglected tradition to usher in this new world, I shall create."

"Which is?" Buffy prompted.

Bean smiled, "A new world, purged free of the greed and hate brought by outsiders to this isle. Free of the shackles that the invaders have sought to chain us with. Free from the pits and shadows that we were exiled to."

"All of that with you on top of the mountain", Buffy observed.

"Perhaps; after all, I saved them. But that is for the future. For the present, I shall use you two young ladies as sacrifices to ensure the gate is held open and its cleansing energy is released upon the land. Then at last, no more shall I have need for secrets."

"Secrets?" Xander interrupted, drawing the attention of the others towards him. "Secrets, things, we keep hidden because we don't want other people to know. You kept all of this a secret so no one could stop you. You threw away people's _lives_ for your own gain.

"Surely you're not as naïve as your words, boy. Even you must keep some things hidden."

Xander gazed at the ground and at the stones surrounding him as the chill of the night enveloped him, he reached a decision within himself and a familiar tingling encircled his waist. Removing his hand from his pocket, he flipped open the now red and black phone as he locked eyes with Buffy and Willow. "I try to not to keep secrets-- they always end up hurting the ones they're supposed to protect."

He entered the numeric sequence with one hand as he turned to face Bean and his demons, they regarded him with an odd look of disdain on their faces. As he finished entering the last digit, he flipped the phone shut and was rewarded with a voice announcing "Standing by".

Xander waited, and then spoke a single word. "Henshin."

With that, he slid the phone into the slot on the belt around his waist.

As Buffy and Willow watched, red lines streaked across his body emanating from the belt. When they completely covered him, they flared brighter until neither could see, lighting up the night sky. When the light faded, both girls wore expressions of shock and surprise.

Standing before them was a familiar armor-clad figure was Satsu's "Cyber Knight Guy"-- Xander Harris.

Before Buffy could finish processing what had happened, the demons roared and attacked. As she struggled to free herself, Buffy had an up close view of Xander in his newly transformed form, fighting for his life. And truth be told, he wasn't doing that bad of a job. Despite being outnumbered three to one, Xander was holding his own with the occasional kick and punch combination that either redirected or knocked down one or more of the demons.

The demon that had been the woman hissed and as Buffy watched, long cordlike tentacles shot from the backs of her hands, striking Xander and restraining him. This left the other two demons free to attack a considerably more helpless opponent and they did so with great delight. Each slash and blow struck on him ignited a show of sparks and cries of pain, until both demons hit him at the same time and set Xander flying backwards

"You should have quit while you were alive boy," Bean intoned, "Now they'll tear you apart."

Xander didn't bother to answer from where he lay crouched on one knee. Without turning his head, he slipped something off the phone anchored in the middle of his belt with his left hand. With his right, he removed a similar part from the bracelet worn on his left arm. Quickly, he switched the two pieces and as he finished the process, the voice from his phone announced, "Complete".

As soon as he heard that, Xander stood up and the metal chest plate split in two and rotated upwards to form a pair of massive shoulder pads. The yellow plate covering his face turned a deep red even and the rest of the armor became black and silver. Bean and the demons stopped and watched as he took up a new fighting stance. Just then Buffy noticed an odd sound in air. "Willow, do you hear a plane …"

Her voice trailed off and she missed the other woman's reply as she realized the source of the sound was Xander, and not the sky. With an imperceptible head nod, Xander charged, becoming little more then a black blur in the process. Before Buffy could blink, the demons were being tossed around and, in one case through the air. A scant second later, she swore she saw him pause in front of her to flick his wrist.

Then he was standing beside her, as she watched the shoulder pads rotate back into position on his chest along with a voice announcing, "Deformation". A flash of light drew her attention from him and looking straight ahead, she saw one of the demons, the one that spewed forth the mist, was in the process of collapsing into dust.

The sound of metal being cut drew her attention where the restraints around her wrists and ankles had been neatly sliced in two. She glanced upon in time to see Xander slashing through the same restraints on Willow with a metal rod looking weapon.

"I don't suppose you would mind telling us how you got that?"

"It's a long story Buffy." Muffled as it was, she detected a faint trace of fatigue in Xander's voice. "Are you all right?"

"I will be after we settle this. I'll take the one on the right." Saying that he broke to engage the demon that had formerly been a woman. The other demon moved to attack him. Buffy took a step and was startled to see Willow standing in front of her.

"Buffy, the sharpening spell."

Buffy adjusted the blade around from behind her back and held it before her. Willow closed her eyes as she chanted in Latin. Spreading her arms in front of her, the redhead's hands began to glow a soft blue-whitish hue, as they seemed to transfer that energy to the sword blade, which also glowed. After a few seconds, Willow stopped and slumped. Buffy reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder to steady her best friend.

"No," Willow said, "-go help Xander. I'll deal with Him."

The Slayer nodded at her friend's words, took a firm grip of the sword handle and charged. Willow raised her eyes and locked gazes with the older man.

"Let's get to it."

"Indeed," Bean agreed.

Across the clearing, Buffy paused every now and then to watch Xander in action. The change to his newly armored status seemed to give him a determination and confidence she hadn't seen in a long time. Not since a panicked noblewoman had needed saving from a car.

A screech brought her slayer instincts into focus, and she ducked as the demon's large claws sliced thru the air where she had been. With the skill of a slayer, she dodged and slashed, pleased that the newly enchanted blade was actually able to wound the creature. She danced around the creature, never giving a hint to as to where her attack would come. At length, the demon grew frustrated and pounced with both claws only to miss her again. The creature sought to attack again but only to found its arms stuck securely in the ground from the force of its blows. Buffy seized the opportunity and slashed with the sword intent on ending the fight.

Only, at the last second was the demon able to free its arm, and used it to block the sword strike. Surprised cries of pain erupted from the monster as its arm fell from its body, cut clean through. Tearing its remaining limb free, it fled into the night.

Across the way, Xander landed a particularly punishing punch combination that sent his own opponent flying out the area. Quickly, he moved to where Buffy was standing. Looking at the arm starting crumble away on the ground to where she stood, he let out a very Xander-esque whistle.

Buffy blinked and looked over at him. "Disarmed and dangerous?" she punned, her smile reminding him of their early years back in Sunnydale.

A thunderous crackle and flash of light prevented further conversation as both had the same thought, "Willow."

And there she was, locked into an arcane duel of sorts with Bean, each throwing particularly nasty magicks at one another. Buffy and Xander arrived after as Willow tried to encase him thick bars of what looked like Ice.

"How is it going, Wills?" Xander asked as he approached her.

"He's tough. -" Black light erupted from around Jakob and he hurled a squirming, snakelike mass at Willow and Xander, that knocked them to the ground. Insanity evident on his smiling face he next turned his attention to Buffy. Holding his hands aloft, each began to manifest sparks that arced back and forth. Relying on instincts and Buffy tightened her grip on the sword and move toward Bean.

Lighting filled balls flew thru the air, barely missing her. Bean narrowed his eyes, as the misses became closer and closer until the last one barely did so. He gritted his teeth determined to end this when he realized where she was. Buffy had come to a stop directly in front of the stone that held the orb.

"You little bitch. Get away from there."

Buffy frowned at him. "You know a mouth that dirty isn't likely to make you any friends." Then she noticed he wasn't looking at her but at something just behind and below her. Risking a glance, she saw something and grabbed it. Bringing it closer to her face, she examined it, not paying attention to the swearing coming from Bean.

With a snarl he threw out his hands and with no small amount of force, yanked the orb from her grasp and set her flying into the stone. As he clenched his hands around it and pulled it close to his dark heart, the black mass that had engulfed Willow and Xander vanished. The later got to his feet and removed something from his belt and fitted it over his right hand. The former, on her knees, saw what was going on and yelled, "Destroy it!"

Buffy was trying to regain her footing when she Willow's cry. She briefly wondered what Willow was referring to and then realized the witch meant the stone. Sword in hand, she pulled back to put all of her strength into this last swing.

Bean saw this and began chanting, his skin and eyes turning black as he prepared to unleash one final spell. "Oh no know you don't," Xander's voice cut through his thoughts. The villain turned just in time to see Xander's right fist, enclosed in a large brace slam into his chest, effectively shattering the orb. Simultaneously, Buffy swung with all of her slayer strength and cleaved the stone in two.

There was a brilliant flash of light and then, nothing.

"Xander!"

With a grunt, he forced his eye to open and saw his friends looking at him. As was normal for him, he mentally checked and was relieved to find all of his limbs and parts were intact. Groaning he managed to sit up and look around. They were in one of the countless rock groupings that dotted the local landscape.

"So um… What happened?"

Buffy and Willow exchanged a puzzled glance then looked towards him. "We don't really know. All we can remember is some dark magick, a powerful evil force, then a bright light."

"Huh. You know, that's not that unusual --even for us."

"True," Buffy agreed, "and this time we got through it without having a more expensive dry-cleaning bill."

"Willow?" She turned and asked the other woman.

"Whatever was here isn't anymore. It looks whatever was here, we drove it off."

"Good. Time for Pizza."

"Xander, there isn't a pizza place that's open this late around here."

"Are you sure that the evil didn't win this time?"


	7. Chapter 7: Knockin on Heaven's door

Exposure

By Adrian Tepes

Rating: PG-13 to R.

Summary: The actions of Champions bring changes across the world and to one man in particular. This is his story.

Disclaimer: All properties, characters, etc… are copyright of their respective owners. I make no profit off this and am writing for my own amusement and enjoyment.

Takes place during the S8 comics and follows/replaces/adds on to the series canon from there.

Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who helped me with this story. You know who you are. I couldn't have done it without you. You may archive just tell me where ie, shoot me a link.

Timeline: Takes place during S8 comics Issue #10 "Anywhere but Here".

Chapter Seven: Knocking on Heaven's Door.

"So you don't know what happened?" Renee asked.

"Not a clue," Xander answered, looking at their surroundings. While he might not remember everything that had happened last night, he did remember luck only lasts so long. The Scoobies needed to know what was on 'their land' just in case next time, luck had fangs. So here he was, accompanied by Renee, out doing a more thorough survey of the entire estate. Before, they had tried to stay closer the castle and the main paths the slayers and others used to move around. Now he had decided to do a more detailed, and in-depth look at the countryside.

"As a way of henging our bets," he told Buffy.

She and Willow were getting ready to do something. Xander recalled it had to do with a Demon that could see all and that the Council was somehow involved.

"And of Miss Summers?" Renee's voice pierced his thoughts.

"Miss Summers? Oh, Dawn. Yeah she's been a bit down lately. But don't you worry, the X-man has an idea sure to put a smile back on her face." His confidence faded as he looked around. "If only I had a plan for everything else".

Renee smiled at him as she slipped her helmet back on before starting up her bike. Letting out a sigh of resignation he slipped on his before starting up the four-wheeler he had opted for. Whereas the slayers got bikes, he preferred having four wheels under him at all times; it helped compensate for the whole depth perception thing, he told his friends.

Unfortunately, four wheels or two, he still hadn't completely replaced all of his shattered equipment from before. Thus, he was making due with what he had. 'I wonder if there is something else I can do in the meantime.' That's when he felt an all too familiar tingling around his waist and pulled over.

Xander looked down to see a familiar looking belt and harness around his waist. He recognized it as the one that had shocked the crap out of him last time he had worn it. Probably owing to him entering the wrong code into the phone, he believed. His musing was cut short as he saw Renee pull up beside him. "Is there something wrong?"

"Wrong? Oh no, no. Nothing's wrong. Just checking some of my improvised field equipment." He attempted to head off any line of questioning before they got started.

"Improvised?" Renee peered around at his gear.

He started fumbling about before finding a familiar shape around his back, which he grasped and showed to her, "Look, binoculars," he noted as he raised them to his eye to look around. "And they really work," he said, almost more to himself then her.

Renee seemed satisfied as she smiled, "Then we should put your equipment to good use," she finished as she revved up her bike, circled around him and resumed her previous course.

Xander merely lowered the binoculars and looked at her with an expression he often wore back in Sunnydale. Saying nothing he fired up his four-wheeler and followed.

Some miles away, one of the countless small hamlets stood silent in the morning air. Normally the area would be filled with the sounds of its residents. The sounds of the livestock would mix with those of the towns few vehicles ferrying townspeople to and from neighboring communities. Most of the men would seeing to their respective livestock as their sons and daughters laughed and played at this time of year. The wives normally met in and around the towns square to catch up on the latest local gossip of the region.

On this day, the town was silent and an eerie sense of calm hung over the area. Save for the local wildlife, no sound emanated from the town. Indeed as one looked through the place, they would see disturbing signs. Doors ripped from their hinges, shattered windows tinged with crimson. Cars and trucks stopped in the middle of the street with a few over-turned. The smoldering remains of at least one building gave evidence of a crisis. Yet, there was not one sign of people that lived here.

Had an observer been truly brave of heart, they could have found a pair of figures standing in silence near the largest building in the town. Silhouetted in black, they watched one seemingly guarding the other. They stood peering into the blackness, the air around them filled with horrible sounds of squelching and moaning.

Back at the estate, Xander and Renee had pulled to a stop atop one of the many hills in the area. Xander was looking through his new pair of binoculars at the surrounding terrain. When he thought she wasn't looking he also discreetly looked at his companion. Renee held her own unique beauty, like all the women in his life now. Like Anya had held in his eyes. Thinking of her caused him to linger slightly longer then he should have on Renee. She coughed softly, waved and smiled as he felt a familiar feeling of awkwardness color his cheeks.

"Did you find something you liked?" Renee teased.

"I, uh" Xander started to stammer. His stammering was cut short as something blindsided him and knocked him to the ground. Rolling on his side he looked up and saw a woman dressed in tattered clothing with a crazy look on her face glaring at him. He could sense the pure, unbridled hate coming off her in waves as Renee moved to stand beside him.

"A woman scorned?" she asked him.

"I have no idea," Xander responded. The woman crossed her arms, growled and then her entire body seemed to split apart revealing a very disgusting and decidedly heavily armored form beneath it. After that, Renee didn't hesitate and charged the she-demon wielding her hatchet like a tomahawk.

For his part, Xander blinked as he found himself reaching into the pocket of his jacket and receiving a jolt up his arm that burned thru the fog of what had happened. From within his jacket pocket, he removed the familiar yellow-highlighted cell phone. He looked up and saw Renee wasn't fairing too well against the demon. It had managed to knock her to ground and was putting its hands around her neck. That made his decision much easier.

"Hey, She-squid!" That comment drew the attention of the monster and Renee, who both turned to face him. Satisfied, he keyed the code sequence to the phone, sliding the cover shut as he finished.

"Standing by," the phone's dark voice relayed as he took a deep breath and let it out.

"Henshin," was all he said as he slid the phone into its slot on the harness around his waist. As the phone rotated 90 degrees to serve as the buckle, it spoke again "Complete" and yellow light erupted from it, encircling Xander's body in golden light that intensified until it was painful to look at him. The light then died down, revealing Xander in his new armored form.

Renee was surprised, to say the least, over his new appearance and form, remembering it as the mysterious armored warrior that had appeared and destroyed another monster before. 'She-squid,' as he called it, released Renee, bellowed its rage and rushed Xander, intent on exacting some form of revenge.

He intercepted the demon's rush with a stout kick to the midsection that seemed to deflate it and began raining punches and kicks on the beast. There was no hesitation, no pause, and no mercy in his strikes, just a relentless barrage that left his opponent staggering. A final brutal blow sent it flying.

He pulled out the strange X-shaped gun that Renee remembered seeing from before. From her point of view, he paused for a moment then opened fire on the monster showering it with a lethal barrage of yellow energy. The she-demon screamed as the blasts struck home setting her skin ablaze as she dropped to the ground.

"Xander?" Renee cautiously approached him. "Are you in there?"

He holstered his weapon and turned to face her, his breathing now audible to her senses.

"Yeah, just a little tired. This suit is not nearly as comfortable as it looks."

That brought a slight smile to her face. "Well, you fill it out nicely."

The helmet concealed his flush, but not his tone.

"And here I thought I would be ogling the girls in spandex. Not wearing it myself." That set both of them to laughing.

A quick movement out of the corner of her eye drew Renee's attention and she looked over to see the demoness leap, snarling into the air. Tentacles shot from its left arm and wrapped themselves around Xander's right hand, preventing him from grabbing his gun. She landed close to both them and then promptly backhanded the slayer out of the way. Then she attacked him, striking him repeatedly in the chest with her free hand before grabbing his throat and beginning to choke him. Xander struggled but couldn't break her grip

"Let him go, you ugly stonebitch!" Renee's voice brimmed with anger as she attacked the demon, striking it multiple times. With a shout and lethal chop, she severed the tentacle that had held his arm. Xander immediately reached behind and unhooked the binoculars from around his waist, then attached them to an anklet around his right leg, even as Renee was knocked on her rear by the demon.

In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance, grabbed the squid-like demon and spun it around to face him. Reflexively, he blocked its strike, and then punched the demon in the face, rocking its head back. He went to throw a follow-up kick only to have to the demon catch and hold his foot while hissing at him.

"Your mistake, ugly," he flipped open the cover on the phone, hit a button with the phone confirming, "EXCEED CHARGE," and then snapped it shut again.

As he did so, a yellow burst of light emerged from the phone and traveled along the lines of his suit and entered the pair of binoculars attached to his immobilized leg. The two ends of the binoculars glowed, before unleashing a blast of yellow energy that struck the demon full in the chest, forcing it to drop his leg and be driven backwards. Very quickly, the energy blast unfolded into a cone shape.

Xander didn't hesitate as he jumped toward the monster. At the height of his jump, he twisted his body, throwing his feet out in front of him in the form of a drop kick even as he entered the cone, which seemed to suck him in and then collapse into the monster.

Renee scrambled to her feet as she witnessed the demon contort in obvious pain. Then the familiar looking armor flashed into being before her. Behind him, there was a yellow flash and the monster let out a whimper as it quickly crumbled into dust.

With an audible click, the armor flashed and faded away, leaving Xander behind looking at her. There was an anxious pause as each searched the other's expression.

"That was pretty cool," Renee said at last triggering a sigh of relief from him.

"Cool is something I can live with," Xander answered good-naturedly.

He took one step towards her before the world started going wrong. All of a sudden things started getting blurry and he felt intense tingling flowing through his body. Renee's face had changed from a smile to a look of fear as she moved forward to be by his side.

"Mr. Harris? Xander?!" Renee's words were spoken in a panic stricken voice. She was holding onto his arm, trying to gently lower him to the ground even as he struggled to draw breath.

He could tell Renee was saying something, but he couldn't hear her. He kept trying to take a breath, but it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest. Oddly, he could feel himself begin to sweat profusely. The world seemed to take an odd haze of brighter colors. Each was harder to look at then the last. Then he saw nothing.

The morning sky was pierced a grief-filled scream of a Slayer.


End file.
